School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in China
China: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 18.01 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
18.01 million
Change on year
down 4.9%
World rank
2nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
28.18 million
in 1975
All-time low
13.48 million
in 1973
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in China, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
China recorded 18.01 million for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in 2025.
The figure is down 4.9% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in China peaked at 28.18 million in 1975 and was at its lowest, 13.48 million, in 1973.
China ranks 2nd of 222 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 18.00 million | — |
| 1971 | 14.61 million | -18.8% |
| 1972 | 14.29 million | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 13.48 million | -5.7% |
| 1974 | 22.46 million | +66.6% |
| 1975 | 28.18 million | +25.5% |
| 1976 | 25.49 million | -9.6% |
| 1977 | 25.66 million | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 25.09 million | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 23.76 million | -5.3% |
| 1980 | 27.53 million | +15.9% |
| 1981 | 27.07 million | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 27.74 million | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 26.34 million | -5.0% |
| 1984 | 25.56 million | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 24.86 million | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 23.16 million | -6.8% |
| 1987 | 21.02 million | -9.2% |
| 1988 | 20.14 million | -4.2% |
| 1989 | 18.69 million | -7.2% |
| 1990 | 18.70 million | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 19.60 million | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 20.14 million | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 20.96 million | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 22.74 million | +8.5% |
| 1995 | 20.27 million | -10.8% |
| 1996 | 21.45 million | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 22.61 million | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 24.42 million | +8.0% |
| 1999 | 25.86 million | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 24.83 million | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 25.59 million | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 26.41 million | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 21.31 million | -19.3% |
| 2004 | 19.86 million | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 19.07 million | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 18.47 million | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 18.02 million | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 17.40 million | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 16.84 million | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 16.41 million | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 16.14 million | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 16.84 million | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 15.95 million | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 15.79 million | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 15.68 million | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 15.95 million | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 16.13 million | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 16.42 million | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 16.78 million | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 17.32 million | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 17.67 million | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 17.58 million | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 17.51 million | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 18.94 million | +8.1% |
| 2025 | 18.01 million | -4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.10 million | 13.48 million | 28.18 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.21 million | 18.69 million | 27.74 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.67 million | 18.70 million | 25.86 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.78 million | 16.84 million | 26.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.21 million | 15.68 million | 16.84 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.84 million | 17.32 million | 18.94 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 school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in China?
- School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in China was 18.01 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 28.18 million in 1975.
- What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.48 million in 1973.
- How does China rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. 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, last grade of 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