Population of compulsory school age, female (number) (compulsory) in China
China: Population of compulsory school age, female (number) (compulsory) 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
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 (number) (compulsory) in China, year by year
| 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% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 73.93 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 591,659, 125.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 73.93 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 332,700, 222.2× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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.
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