Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in China
China: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 10.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in China, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
China recorded 10.4% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2023.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in China peaked at 14.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2004.
China ranks 81st of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in China, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.4% | — |
| 2001 | 1.5% | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | +11.3% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | -25.4% |
| 2005 | 9.5% | +612.6% |
| 2006 | 9.3% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 8.4% | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 14.3% | +69.9% |
| 2009 | 13.5% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 13.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 13.1% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 12.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 11.5% | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 11.2% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 10.9% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 10.5% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 10.4% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.3% | 1.3% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.6% | 11.2% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 10.4% | 10.9% | 4 |
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in China?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in China was 10.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 14.4% in 2012.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2004.
- How does China rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- China ranks 81st out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.7%. 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 Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release