Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in China
China: Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes was 97.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
97.4%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
101st
of 211 countries
All-time high
97.5%
in 2012
All-time low
67.2%
in 1984
Years of data
48
1970–2024
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in China, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 97.4% for gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in China peaked at 97.5% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 67.2%, in 1984.
That places China 101st out of 211 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 74.6% | — |
| 1971 | 77.2% | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 81.5% | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 88.3% | +8.4% |
| 1974 | 91.0% | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 94.1% | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 95.2% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 89.8% | -5.7% |
| 1978 | 82.4% | -8.2% |
| 1979 | 78.0% | -5.3% |
| 1980 | 72.7% | -6.8% |
| 1981 | 70.8% | -2.7% |
| 1982 | 68.7% | -3.0% |
| 1983 | 67.4% | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 67.2% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 69.7% | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 71.2% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 73.7% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 74.7% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 75.0% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 74.6% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 76.0% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 77.4% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 78.3% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 78.3% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 79.6% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 81.1% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 82.3% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 86.1% | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 87.5% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 90.1% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 93.2% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 96.3% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 97.1% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 97.4% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 96.7% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 92.8% | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 92.0% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 91.8% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 92.2% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 92.9% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 94.0% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 95.3% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 96.1% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 97.0% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 97.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 97.4% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85.2% | 74.6% | 95.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.1% | 67.2% | 75.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.5% | 74.6% | 82.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 90.7% | 86.1% | 96.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 94.4% | 91.8% | 97.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.6% | 95.3% | 97.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 98 Kazakhstan 97.5% compare
- 99 Samoa 97.4% compare
- 100 Timor-Leste 97.4% compare
- 102 United States of America 97.2% compare
- 103 Trinidad and Tobago 97.2% compare
- 104 Myanmar 96.4% compare
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 gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in China?
- Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in China was 97.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 97.5% in 2012.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.2% in 1984.
- How does China rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- China ranks 101st out of 211 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. 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 Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release