Government spending on education as a share of GDP in China
China: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 3.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in China, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in China is 3.9%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in China peaked at 3.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1971.
That places China 111th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in China, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.4% | — |
| 1972 | 1.6% | +15.6% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 1.8% | +6.7% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +6.3% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 2.0% | +12.0% |
| 1979 | 2.1% | +9.7% |
| 1980 | 1.9% | -11.0% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 2.1% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 2.0% | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 2.0% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | -12.5% |
| 1988 | 1.8% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | -6.4% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | -7.3% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | +108.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 3.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 92% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- China's 3.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 92% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +108.3% | 1.9% | 3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.41 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 7,020 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.36 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 97.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 108.57 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9587 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0771 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in China?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in China was 3.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1971.
- How does China rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- China ranks 111th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.