Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in China
China: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 84.0% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in China, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 84.0% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in China peaked at 86.7% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 84.0%, in 2024.
China ranks 50th of 155 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 84.5% | — |
| 2014 | 86.7% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 86.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 86.1% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 85.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 85.5% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 85.6% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 85.1% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 84.2% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 85.4% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 84.7% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 84.0% | -0.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 84.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 72.0%, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- China's 84.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 1.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 85.8% | 84.5% | 86.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 84.7% | 84.0% | 85.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 47 Armenia 84.6% compare
- 48 Netherlands 84.5% compare
- 49 Switzerland 84.1% compare
- 51 Serbia 83.4% compare
- 52 Republic of Moldova 82.7% compare
- 53 Norway 82.1% 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in China?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in China was 84.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 86.7% in 2014.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.0% in 2024.
- How does China rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- China ranks 50th out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release