School age population, primary education, both sexes in China
China: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 105.16 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
105.16 million
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
2nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
134.72 million
in 1980
All-time low
83.35 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in China, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, primary education, both sexes in China is 105.16 million, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in China peaked at 134.72 million in 1980 and was at its lowest, 83.35 million, in 1970.
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.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 83.35 million | — |
| 1971 | 93.65 million | +12.4% |
| 1972 | 104.56 million | +11.7% |
| 1973 | 115.94 million | +10.9% |
| 1974 | 127.52 million | +10.0% |
| 1975 | 128.77 million | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 128.12 million | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 129.66 million | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 131.74 million | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 132.96 million | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 134.72 million | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 132.02 million | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 128.06 million | -3.0% |
| 1983 | 121.30 million | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 115.05 million | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 108.15 million | -6.0% |
| 1986 | 101.97 million | -5.7% |
| 1987 | 98.40 million | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 97.52 million | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 98.33 million | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 102.38 million | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 103.95 million | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 105.79 million | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 108.26 million | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 111.73 million | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 114.85 million | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 119.40 million | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 123.55 million | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 127.34 million | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 124.22 million | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 118.21 million | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 112.44 million | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 105.32 million | -6.3% |
| 2003 | 96.91 million | -8.0% |
| 2004 | 109.90 million | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 106.43 million | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 103.50 million | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 101.86 million | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 99.76 million | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 98.13 million | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 96.96 million | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 96.50 million | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 96.47 million | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 96.04 million | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 96.87 million | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 98.39 million | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 100.37 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 102.00 million | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 103.38 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 105.90 million | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 107.13 million | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 108.31 million | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 107.91 million | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 108.43 million | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 108.95 million | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 105.16 million | -3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 117.63 million | 83.35 million | 132.96 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 113.55 million | 97.52 million | 134.72 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 114.15 million | 102.38 million | 127.34 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 105.25 million | 96.91 million | 118.21 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.29 million | 96.04 million | 105.90 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 107.65 million | 105.16 million | 108.95 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.74 million (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.4% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 99.64 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 99.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in China?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in China was 105.16 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 134.72 million in 1980.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.35 million in 1970.
- How does China rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. 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, 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