Population of compulsory school age, female in China

China: Population of compulsory school age, female was 73.93 million in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
73.93 million
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
2nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
102.58 million
in 1998
All-time low
67.00 million
in 2013
Years of data
28
1998–2025

Population of compulsory school age, female in China, 1998–2025

025.0M50.0M75.0M100.0M1998201120251998: 102.6M1999: 101.6M2000: 101.2M2001: 99.8M2002: 97.5M2003: 94.2M2004: 86.0M2005: 81.4M2006: 76.4M2007: 74.1M2008: 72.1M2009: 70.4M2010: 69.0M2011: 67.9M2012: 67.3M2013: 67.0M2014: 67.1M2015: 67.6M2016: 68.0M2017: 68.8M2018: 69.6M2019: 71.1M2020: 72.1M2021: 73.3M2022: 73.8M2023: 74.5M2024: 75.0M2025: 73.9M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

China recorded 73.93 million for population of compulsory school age, female in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, female in China peaked at 102.58 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 67.00 million, in 2013.

That places China 2nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Population of compulsory school age, female in China, year by year

Annual values for Population of compulsory school age, female (number) in China, 1998 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1998 102.58 million
1999 101.65 million -0.9%
2000 101.19 million -0.4%
2001 99.79 million -1.4%
2002 97.55 million -2.3%
2003 94.21 million -3.4%
2004 85.98 million -8.7%
2005 81.41 million -5.3%
2006 76.37 million -6.2%
2007 74.08 million -3.0%
2008 72.08 million -2.7%
2009 70.39 million -2.3%
2010 68.98 million -2.0%
2011 67.93 million -1.5%
2012 67.26 million -1.0%
2013 67.00 million -0.4%
2014 67.13 million +0.2%
2015 67.64 million +0.8%
2016 68.00 million +0.5%
2017 68.75 million +1.1%
2018 69.57 million +1.2%
2019 71.12 million +2.2%
2020 72.12 million +1.4%
2021 73.29 million +1.6%
2022 73.78 million +0.7%
2023 74.51 million +1.0%
2024 74.99 million +0.7%
2025 73.93 million -1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 102.11 million 101.65 million 102.58 million 2
2000s 85.30 million 70.39 million 101.19 million 10
2010s 68.34 million 67.00 million 71.12 million 10
2020s 73.77 million 72.12 million 74.99 million 6

Countries ranked near China

  1. 1 India 88.89 million compare
  2. 3 Pakistan 35.04 million compare
  3. 4 Nigeria 27.27 million compare
  4. 5 United States of America 24.73 million compare

See the full ranking of 418 places →

More education data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of compulsory school age, female in China?
Population of compulsory school age, female in China was 73.93 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of compulsory school age, female recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 102.58 million in 1998.
What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, female recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 67.00 million in 2013.
How does China rank for population of compulsory school age, female?
China ranks 2nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is population of compulsory school age, female rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. 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, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of compulsory school age, female in China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-compulsory-school-age-female-number-2/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of compulsory school age, female (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
418 places, 11,049 data points, 1974–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release