Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in China
China: Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes was 45.43 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
45.43 million
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
2nd
of 196 countries
All-time high
45.96 million
in 2013
All-time low
17.37 million
in 1996
Years of data
26
1996–2024
Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in China, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
China recorded 45.43 million for enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in China peaked at 45.96 million in 2013 and was at its lowest, 17.37 million, in 1996.
That places China 2nd out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 17.37 million | — |
| 1997 | 18.68 million | +7.5% |
| 1999 | 22.53 million | +20.6% |
| 2000 | 23.26 million | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 23.73 million | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 25.32 million | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 28.47 million | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 38.97 million | +36.9% |
| 2007 | 42.18 million | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 43.98 million | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 44.44 million | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 44.69 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 44.54 million | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 44.22 million | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 45.96 million | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 43.71 million | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 41.72 million | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 40.39 million | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 39.71 million | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 39.72 million | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 39.36 million | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 39.96 million | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 41.64 million | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 43.45 million | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 45.01 million | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 45.43 million | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.53 million | 17.37 million | 22.53 million | 3 |
| 2000s | 33.79 million | 23.26 million | 44.44 million | 8 |
| 2010s | 42.40 million | 39.36 million | 45.96 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.10 million | 39.96 million | 45.43 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 30.48 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in China?
- Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes in China was 45.43 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 45.96 million in 2013.
- What is the lowest enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.37 million in 1996.
- How does China rank for enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. 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 Enrolment in upper secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release