Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in China
China: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both was 72.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in China, 1982–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in China stood at 72.4%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in China peaked at 72.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 22.8%, in 1982.
China ranks 68th of 135 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 22.8% | — |
| 1990 | 36.4% | +59.7% |
| 2000 | 52.3% | +43.6% |
| 2010 | 65.3% | +25.0% |
| 2020 | 72.4% | +10.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 72.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 69.0%, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- China's 72.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 80.6%, 90% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.8% | 22.8% | 22.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 36.4% | 36.4% | 36.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 52.3% | 52.3% | 52.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 65.3% | 65.3% | 65.3% | 1 |
| 2020s | 72.4% | 72.4% | 72.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 93.37 (1997)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.32 (1997)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in China?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in China was 72.4% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 72.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.8% in 1982.
- How does China rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- China ranks 68th out of 135 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release