Literacy in China
China: Literacy was 96.74 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
96.74
World rank
25th
of 89 countries
All-time high
96.74
in 2020
All-time low
65.51
in 1982
Years of data
5
1982–2020
Literacy in China, 1982–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy in China is 96.74, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in China peaked at 96.74 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 65.51, in 1982.
That places China 25th out of 89 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Literacy in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 65.51 | — |
| 1990 | 77.79 | +18.7% |
| 2000 | 90.92 | +16.9% |
| 2010 | 95.12 | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 96.74 | +1.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 96.74 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.55, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- China's 96.74 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.06, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 65.51 | 65.51 | 65.51 | 1 |
| 1990s | 77.79 | 77.79 | 77.79 | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.92 | 90.92 | 90.92 | 1 |
| 2010s | 95.12 | 95.12 | 95.12 | 1 |
| 2020s | 96.74 | 96.74 | 96.74 | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
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 literacy in China?
- Literacy in China was 96.74 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 96.74 in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.51 in 1982.
- How does China rank for literacy?
- China ranks 25th out of 89 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).