Government expenditure on primary education, US$ (millions) (US) in China
China: Government expenditure on primary education, US$ (millions) (US) was 219,842 millions in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on primary education, US$ in China, 1980–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.
Analysis
China recorded 219,842 millions for government expenditure on primary education, us$ in 2023. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education, us$ in China peaked at 219,842 millions in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,081 millions, in 1980.
China ranks 2nd of 154 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on primary education, US$ (millions) (US) in China, year by year
| Year | millions | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1,081 millions | — |
| 1981 | 1,156 millions | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 1,311 millions | +13.5% |
| 1983 | 1,479 millions | +12.8% |
| 1984 | 1,558 millions | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 1,826 millions | +17.2% |
| 1986 | 1,824 millions | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 1,514 millions | -17.0% |
| 1988 | 1,796 millions | +18.6% |
| 1992 | 2,422 millions | +34.9% |
| 1993 | 2,564 millions | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 4,370 millions | +70.4% |
| 1995 | 4,072 millions | -6.8% |
| 1996 | 6,467 millions | +58.8% |
| 1998 | 6,845 millions | +5.8% |
| 1999 | 6,733 millions | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 219,842 millions | +3165.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 219,842 millions is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 583.8 millions, 376.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- China's 219,842 millions is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,455 millions, 89.5× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education, US$ (millions) (US) in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +3165.2% | 6,733 millions | 219,842 millions |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,505 millions | 1,081 millions | 1,826 millions | 9 |
| 1990s | 4,782 millions | 2,422 millions | 6,845 millions | 7 |
| 2020s | 219,842 millions | 219,842 millions | 219,842 millions | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
- 1 United States 341,333 millions compare
- 3 Japan 53,602 millions compare
- 4 United Kingdom 50,498 millions compare
- 5 Chad 36,510 millions compare
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 government expenditure on primary education, us$ in China?
- Government expenditure on primary education, us$ in China was 219,842 millions in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education, us$ recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 219,842 millions in 2023.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education, us$ recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,081 millions in 1980.
- How does China rank for government expenditure on primary education, us$?
- China ranks 2nd out of 154 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education, US$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release