Official entrance age to compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of)
China (People’s Republic of): Official entrance age to compulsory education was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 200 countries
All-time high
7
in 1998
All-time low
6
in 2004
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of), 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of) is 6, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 7 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6, in 2004.
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 21st of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.4 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)
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More education data for China (People’s Republic of)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.74 million (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (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)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 99.64 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 99.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of)?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of) was 6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 2004.
- How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- China (People’s Republic of) ranks 21st out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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