Primary education, teachers in China
China: Primary education, teachers was 6.74 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.74 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
1st
of 204 countries
All-time high
6.74 million
in 2024
All-time low
3.49 million
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2024
Primary education, teachers in China, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
China recorded 6.74 million for primary education, teachers in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in China peaked at 6.74 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.49 million, in 1970.
That places China 1st out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Primary education, teachers in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.49 million | — |
| 1971 | 3.61 million | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 4.09 million | +13.4% |
| 1973 | 4.40 million | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 4.68 million | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 4.94 million | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 5.20 million | +5.2% |
| 1977 | 5.29 million | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 5.23 million | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 5.23 million | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5.38 million | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 5.50 million | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 5.58 million | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 5.50 million | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 5.42 million | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 5.37 million | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 5.38 million | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 5.41 million | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 5.43 million | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 5.50 million | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 5.54 million | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 5.58 million | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 5.53 million | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 5.53 million | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 5.55 million | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 5.61 million | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 5.66 million | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 5.74 million | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 5.79 million | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 5.86 million | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 5.78 million | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 5.97 million | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 6.07 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 6.04 million | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 6.02 million | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 6.00 million | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 5.94 million | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 5.91 million | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 5.87 million | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 5.86 million | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 5.89 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 5.93 million | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 6.05 million | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 6.20 million | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 6.36 million | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 6.53 million | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 6.68 million | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 6.70 million | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 6.72 million | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 6.74 million | +0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 6.74 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24,978, 269.8× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 6.74 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7,144, 943.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.62 million | 3.49 million | 5.29 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.45 million | 5.37 million | 5.58 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.62 million | 5.53 million | 5.79 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.96 million | 5.78 million | 6.07 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 6.00 million | 5.86 million | 6.36 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.67 million | 6.53 million | 6.74 million | 5 |
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 primary education, teachers in China?
- Primary education, teachers in China was 6.74 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 6.74 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.49 million in 1970.
- How does China rank for primary education, teachers?
- China ranks 1st out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.