Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in China
China: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 93.4% in 1997. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in China, 1820–1997
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 93.4% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 1997. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in China peaked at 93.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
China ranks 114th of 190 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1870 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1875 | 0.1% | +66.7% |
| 1880 | 0.1% | +60.0% |
| 1885 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1890 | 0.2% | +58.3% |
| 1895 | 0.3% | +57.9% |
| 1900 | 0.5% | +53.3% |
| 1905 | 0.7% | +52.2% |
| 1910 | 1.1% | +52.9% |
| 1915 | 1.6% | +50.5% |
| 1920 | 2.4% | +50.3% |
| 1925 | 3.6% | +48.8% |
| 1930 | 5.3% | +47.8% |
| 1935 | 8.4% | +57.5% |
| 1940 | 9.4% | +11.7% |
| 1945 | 17.1% | +82.6% |
| 1950 | 35.1% | +105.3% |
| 1955 | 53.1% | +51.3% |
| 1960 | 71.0% | +33.9% |
| 1965 | 71.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 71.0% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 79.8% | +12.4% |
| 1980 | 82.2% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 91.8% | +11.7% |
| 1990 | 89.3% | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 89.1% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 88.3% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 88.3% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 88.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 90.2% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 91.6% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 93.4% | +2.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 93.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.1%, 99% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- China's 93.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 95.4%, 98% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 3.0% | 2.4% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.9% | 5.3% | 8.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 13.2% | 9.4% | 17.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 44.1% | 35.1% | 53.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 71.0% | 71.0% | 71.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 75.4% | 71.0% | 79.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 87.0% | 82.2% | 91.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 89.8% | 88.3% | 93.4% | 8 |
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 gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in China?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in China was 93.4% in 1997, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 93.4% in 1997.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does China rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- China ranks 114th out of 190 countries with data for 1997.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.