Inequality in education in China
China: Inequality in education was 0.1029 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in education in China, 2013–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in education in China stood at 0.1029. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in China peaked at 0.1168 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.1029, in 2018.
China ranks 98th of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.1128 | 0.1029 | 0.1168 | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.1029 | 0.1029 | 0.1029 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.4% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 99.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 6.74 million (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.01 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in education in China?
- Inequality in education in China was 0.1029 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1168 in 2013.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1029 in 2018.
- How does China rank for inequality in education?
- China ranks 98th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.