School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in China
China: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) was 53.98 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
53.98 million
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
2nd
of 220 countries
All-time high
82.08 million
in 1983
All-time low
27.67 million
in 1974
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in China, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in China stood at 53.98 million.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in China peaked at 82.08 million in 1983 and was at its lowest, 27.67 million, in 1974.
China ranks 2nd of 220 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, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 39.46 million | — |
| 1971 | 38.55 million | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 32.47 million | -15.8% |
| 1973 | 28.79 million | -11.3% |
| 1974 | 27.67 million | -3.9% |
| 1975 | 35.82 million | +29.5% |
| 1976 | 50.48 million | +40.9% |
| 1977 | 75.81 million | +50.2% |
| 1978 | 79.01 million | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 75.95 million | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 74.23 million | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 76.12 million | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 78.10 million | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 82.08 million | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 80.91 million | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 79.41 million | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 76.54 million | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 73.37 million | -4.1% |
| 1988 | 68.85 million | -6.2% |
| 1989 | 64.16 million | -6.8% |
| 1990 | 59.71 million | -6.9% |
| 1991 | 57.40 million | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 56.86 million | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 58.32 million | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 60.58 million | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 63.71 million | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 63.84 million | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 64.34 million | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 64.22 million | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 68.37 million | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 72.78 million | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 74.99 million | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 76.15 million | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 76.70 million | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 73.19 million | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 67.46 million | -7.8% |
| 2006 | 60.14 million | -10.8% |
| 2007 | 57.30 million | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 55.46 million | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 53.78 million | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 52.16 million | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 50.57 million | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 49.32 million | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 49.33 million | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 48.87 million | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 48.52 million | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 47.36 million | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 47.37 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 47.71 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 48.45 million | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 49.28 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 50.48 million | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 51.73 million | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 52.53 million | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 52.72 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 53.98 million | +2.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 53.98 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 354,188, 152.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 53.98 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 90,189, 598.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +50.2% | 50.48 million | 75.81 million |
| 1976 | +40.9% | 35.82 million | 50.48 million |
| 1975 | +29.5% | 27.67 million | 35.82 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 48.40 million | 27.67 million | 79.01 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.38 million | 64.16 million | 82.08 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.74 million | 56.86 million | 68.37 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.79 million | 53.78 million | 76.70 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.97 million | 47.36 million | 52.16 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.79 million | 49.28 million | 53.98 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, lower secondary education, both sexes in China?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in China was 53.98 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 82.08 million in 1983.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.67 million in 1974.
- How does China rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. 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, lower secondary 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