Over-age students, primary in China

China: Over-age students, primary was 11.6% in 1997. ▼ Falling

Latest (1997)
11.6%
Change on year
down 10.7%
World rank
56th
of 191 countries
All-time high
22.8%
in 1987
All-time low
11.6%
in 1997
Years of data
11
1987–1997

Over-age students, primary in China, 1987–1997

05101520251987199219971987: 22.8 % of enrollment1988: 22.3 % of enrollment1989: 20.8 % of enrollment1990: 19.7 % of enrollment1991: 18.3 % of enrollment1992: 17.7 % of enrollment1993: 16.1 % of enrollment1994: 15 % of enrollment1995: 14.5 % of enrollment1996: 13 % of enrollment1997: 11.6 % of enrollment

Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of enrollment.

Analysis

In 1997, over-age students, primary in China stood at 11.6%. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

That represents a change of down 10.7% on the previous year and down 49.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, over-age students, primary in China peaked at 22.8% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 1997.

That places China 56th out of 191 countries with data for 1997, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Over-age students, primary in China, year by year

Annual values for Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in China, 1987 to 1997.
Year % of enrollment Change
1987 22.8%
1988 22.3% -2.4%
1989 20.8% -6.5%
1990 19.7% -5.5%
1991 18.3% -6.8%
1992 17.7% -3.7%
1993 16.1% -8.8%
1994 15.0% -6.8%
1995 14.5% -3.2%
1996 13.0% -10.6%
1997 11.6% -10.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 22.0% 20.8% 22.8% 3
1990s 15.7% 11.6% 19.7% 8

Countries ranked near China

  1. 53 Cameroon 12.0% compare
  2. 54 Honduras 11.9% compare
  3. 55 Germany 11.8%
  4. 57 Bhutan 11.5% compare
  5. 58 Aruba 11.5%
  6. 59 Djibouti 11.3% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More education data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is over-age students, primary in China?
Over-age students, primary in China was 11.6% in 1997, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest over-age students, primary recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 22.8% in 1987.
What is the lowest over-age students, primary recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 1997.
How does China rank for over-age students, primary?
China ranks 56th out of 191 countries with data for 1997.
Is over-age students, primary rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 49.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Over-age students, primary in China. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/over-age-students-primary-percent-of-enrollment/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)
Unit
% of enrollment
Source
Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,461 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.