Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in China
China: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 15.19 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
15.19 million
Change on year
down 15.9%
World rank
2nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
28.51 million
in 1971
All-time low
15.19 million
in 2025
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in China, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
China recorded 15.19 million for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is down 15.9% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in China peaked at 28.51 million in 1971 and was at its lowest, 15.19 million, in 2025.
That places China 2nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 22.73 million | — |
| 1971 | 28.51 million | +25.4% |
| 1972 | 25.77 million | -9.6% |
| 1973 | 25.93 million | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 25.35 million | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 23.99 million | -5.4% |
| 1976 | 27.78 million | +15.8% |
| 1977 | 27.30 million | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 27.97 million | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 26.55 million | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 25.74 million | -3.0% |
| 1981 | 25.03 million | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 23.31 million | -6.9% |
| 1983 | 21.15 million | -9.3% |
| 1984 | 20.26 million | -4.2% |
| 1985 | 18.80 million | -7.2% |
| 1986 | 18.80 million | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 19.70 million | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 20.25 million | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 21.06 million | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 22.84 million | +8.5% |
| 1991 | 20.37 million | -10.8% |
| 1992 | 21.54 million | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 22.71 million | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 24.52 million | +8.0% |
| 1995 | 25.96 million | +5.9% |
| 1996 | 24.92 million | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 25.69 million | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 26.51 million | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 21.40 million | -19.3% |
| 2000 | 19.94 million | -6.8% |
| 2001 | 19.15 million | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 18.54 million | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 18.09 million | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 16.92 million | -6.5% |
| 2005 | 16.48 million | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 16.21 million | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 16.91 million | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 16.01 million | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 15.84 million | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 15.73 million | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 16.00 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 16.17 million | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 16.46 million | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 16.82 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 17.36 million | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 17.71 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 17.61 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 17.55 million | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 18.97 million | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 18.05 million | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 18.53 million | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 17.31 million | -6.6% |
| 2023 | 18.13 million | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 18.07 million | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 15.19 million | -15.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 15.19 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97,289, 156.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 15.19 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39,484, 384.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.19 million | 22.73 million | 28.51 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.41 million | 18.80 million | 25.74 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.65 million | 20.37 million | 26.51 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.41 million | 15.84 million | 19.94 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.04 million | 15.73 million | 18.97 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.55 million | 15.19 million | 18.53 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 the official entrance age to primary education, both in China?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in China was 15.19 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 28.51 million in 1971.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.19 million in 2025.
- How does China rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- China ranks 2nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. 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 the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release