Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in China
China: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 159.15 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
159.15 million
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
2nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
214.22 million
in 1998
All-time low
145.38 million
in 2013
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in China, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
China recorded 159.15 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in China peaked at 214.22 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 145.38 million, in 2013.
China ranks 2nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 214.22 million | — |
| 1999 | 212.80 million | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 212.37 million | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 209.98 million | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 205.82 million | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 199.38 million | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 183.08 million | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 173.89 million | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 163.64 million | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 159.16 million | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 155.22 million | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 151.91 million | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 149.13 million | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 147.07 million | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 145.79 million | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 145.38 million | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 145.75 million | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 146.92 million | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 147.73 million | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 149.37 million | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 151.09 million | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 154.36 million | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 156.41 million | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 158.79 million | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 159.64 million | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 160.97 million | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 161.68 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 159.15 million | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 213.51 million | 212.80 million | 214.22 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 181.44 million | 151.91 million | 212.37 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 148.26 million | 145.38 million | 154.36 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 159.44 million | 156.41 million | 161.68 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 5.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.72 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 30.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.79 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 30.48 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in China?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in China was 159.15 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 214.22 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 145.38 million in 2013.
- How does China rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release