Enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes in China
China: Enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes was 52.55 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
52.55 million
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
2nd
of 200 countries
All-time high
67.15 million
in 2003
All-time low
43.23 million
in 2016
Years of data
27
1995–2024
Enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes in China, 1995–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes in China stood at 52.55 million.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes in China peaked at 67.15 million in 2003 and was at its lowest, 43.23 million, in 2016.
China ranks 2nd of 200 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 43.80 million | — |
| 1996 | 47.28 million | +7.9% |
| 1997 | 50.48 million | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 54.91 million | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 58.23 million | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 62.79 million | +7.8% |
| 2002 | 65.41 million | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 67.15 million | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 62.22 million | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 59.66 million | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 57.46 million | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 55.96 million | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 54.52 million | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 52.91 million | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 50.78 million | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 47.73 million | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 44.50 million | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 43.95 million | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 43.23 million | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 43.42 million | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 44.47 million | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 46.59 million | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 48.35 million | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 49.23 million | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 50.28 million | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 51.31 million | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 52.55 million | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.12 million | 43.80 million | 54.91 million | 4 |
| 2000s | 61.11 million | 55.96 million | 67.15 million | 8 |
| 2010s | 47.21 million | 43.23 million | 54.52 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.34 million | 48.35 million | 52.55 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 52.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 40.93 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -11.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 60.67 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 5.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 30.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.79 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes in China?
- Enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes in China was 52.55 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 67.15 million in 2003.
- What is the lowest enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.23 million in 2016.
- How does China rank for enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release