Official entrance age to early childhood education in China
China: Official entrance age to early childhood education was 3 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
3 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 207 countries
All-time high
3 years
in 1997
All-time low
3 years
in 1997
Years of data
29
1997–2025
Official entrance age to early childhood education in China, 1997–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
China recorded 3 years for official entrance age to early childhood education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to early childhood education in China peaked at 3 years in 1997 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 1997.
That places China 33rd out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Official entrance age to early childhood education in China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 3 years | — |
| 1998 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
- 33 Angola 3 years compare
- 33 Anguilla 3 years compare
- 33 Andorra 3 years compare
- 33 Armenia 3 years compare
- 33 Burundi 3 years compare
- 33 Burkina Faso 3 years compare
- 33 Bangladesh 3 years compare
- 33 Bulgaria 3 years compare
- 33 Bahamas 3 years compare
- 33 Belize 3 years compare
- 33 Brunei Darussalam 3 years compare
- 33 Bhutan 3 years compare
- 33 Botswana 3 years compare
- 33 Central African Republic 3 years compare
- 33 Côte d'Ivoire 3 years compare
- 33 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3 years compare
- 33 Congo 3 years compare
- 33 Cook Islands 3 years compare
- 33 Comoros 3 years compare
- 33 Cape Verde 3 years compare
- 33 Czechia 3 years compare
- 33 Dominican Republic 3 years compare
- 33 Ecuador 3 years compare
- 33 Fiji 3 years compare
- 33 France 3 years compare
- 33 Micronesia, Federated States of 3 years compare
- 33 Gabon 3 years compare
- 33 Guinea-Bissau 3 years compare
- 33 Hong Kong, China 3 years compare
- 33 Honduras 3 years compare
- 33 India 3 years compare
- 33 Italy 3 years compare
- 33 Japan 3 years compare
- 33 Kenya 3 years compare
- 33 Kiribati 3 years compare
- 33 Lebanon 3 years compare
- 33 Liberia 3 years compare
- 33 Sri Lanka 3 years compare
- 33 Lesotho 3 years compare
- 33 Macau, China 3 years compare
- 33 Monaco 3 years compare
- 33 Madagascar 3 years compare
- 33 Malta 3 years compare
- 33 Mozambique 3 years compare
- 33 Malawi 3 years compare
- 33 Netherlands 3 years compare
- 33 Nepal 3 years compare
- 33 Naoero 3 years compare
- 33 Pakistan 3 years compare
- 33 Palau 3 years compare
- 33 Papua New Guinea 3 years compare
- 33 Poland 3 years compare
- 33 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 3 years compare
- 33 Rwanda 3 years compare
- 33 Senegal 3 years compare
- 33 Solomon Islands 3 years compare
- 33 Somalia 3 years compare
- 33 South Sudan 3 years compare
- 33 Sao Tome and Principe 3 years compare
- 33 Slovakia 3 years compare
- 33 Eswatini 3 years compare
- 33 Syrian Arab Republic 3 years compare
- 33 Chad 3 years compare
- 33 Togo 3 years compare
- 33 Tajikistan 3 years compare
- 33 Tokelau 3 years compare
- 33 Timor-Leste 3 years compare
- 33 Trinidad and Tobago 3 years compare
- 33 Tunisia 3 years compare
- 33 Tuvalu 3 years compare
- 33 Uganda 3 years compare
- 33 Uzbekistan 3 years compare
- 33 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3 years compare
- 33 Samoa 3 years compare
- 33 Zambia 3 years 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 official entrance age to early childhood education in China?
- Official entrance age to early childhood education in China was 3 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to early childhood education recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3 years in 1997.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to early childhood education recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 1997.
- How does China rank for official entrance age to early childhood education?
- China ranks 33rd out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to early childhood education rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Official entrance age to early childhood education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release