School age population, early childhood education, male in China

China: School age population, early childhood education, male was 19.32 million in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
19.32 million
Change on year
down 12.1%
World rank
2nd
of 207 countries
All-time high
46.16 million
in 1997
All-time low
19.32 million
in 2025
Years of data
29
1997–2025

School age population, early childhood education, male in China, 1997–2025

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M1997201120251997: 46.2M1998: 30.7M1999: 29.8M2000: 29.0M2001: 28.2M2002: 27.4M2003: 26.7M2004: 26.7M2005: 26.5M2006: 26.3M2007: 25.7M2008: 25.7M2009: 25.9M2010: 26.3M2011: 26.7M2012: 27.4M2013: 28.0M2014: 28.4M2015: 28.5M2016: 29.2M2017: 29.4M2018: 29.8M2019: 28.9M2020: 28.9M2021: 28.5M2022: 27.4M2023: 25.4M2024: 22.0M2025: 19.3M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school age population, early childhood education, male in China is 19.32 million, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.

The figure is down 12.1% on the previous year and down 32.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood education, male in China peaked at 46.16 million in 1997 and was at its lowest, 19.32 million, in 2025.

That places China 2nd out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

School age population, early childhood education, male in China, year by year

Annual values for School age population, early childhood education, male (number) in China, 1997 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1997 46.16 million
1998 30.74 million -33.4%
1999 29.83 million -3.0%
2000 29.00 million -2.8%
2001 28.18 million -2.8%
2002 27.36 million -2.9%
2003 26.71 million -2.4%
2004 26.74 million +0.1%
2005 26.51 million -0.9%
2006 26.34 million -0.6%
2007 25.72 million -2.4%
2008 25.72 million -0.0%
2009 25.90 million +0.7%
2010 26.30 million +1.5%
2011 26.74 million +1.7%
2012 27.37 million +2.4%
2013 28.04 million +2.4%
2014 28.44 million +1.5%
2015 28.52 million +0.3%
2016 29.16 million +2.2%
2017 29.35 million +0.7%
2018 29.84 million +1.6%
2019 28.89 million -3.2%
2020 28.87 million -0.1%
2021 28.54 million -1.1%
2022 27.38 million -4.1%
2023 25.41 million -7.2%
2024 21.98 million -13.5%
2025 19.32 million -12.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 35.58 million 29.83 million 46.16 million 3
2000s 26.82 million 25.72 million 29.00 million 10
2010s 28.27 million 26.30 million 29.84 million 10
2020s 25.25 million 19.32 million 28.87 million 6

Countries ranked near China

  1. 1 India 34.16 million compare
  2. 3 Nigeria 16.82 million compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 16.01 million compare
  4. 5 Brazil 8.09 million compare

See the full ranking of 401 places →

More education data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, early childhood education, male in China?
School age population, early childhood education, male in China was 19.32 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, early childhood education, male recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 46.16 million in 1997.
What is the lowest school age population, early childhood education, male recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 19.32 million in 2025.
How does China rank for school age population, early childhood education, male?
China ranks 2nd out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
Is school age population, early childhood education, male rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.3%. 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 School age population, early childhood education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, early childhood education, male in China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-early-childhood-education-male-number-2/china/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, early childhood education, male (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
401 places, 9,806 data points, 1971–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release