School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in China
China: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes was 79.22 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
79.22 million
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
2nd
of 221 countries
All-time high
132.58 million
in 1991
All-time low
78.92 million
in 2024
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in China, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in China is 79.22 million, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in China peaked at 132.58 million in 1991 and was at its lowest, 78.92 million, in 2024.
China ranks 2nd of 221 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, tertiary education, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 85.51 million | — |
| 1971 | 90.24 million | +5.5% |
| 1972 | 93.23 million | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 95.17 million | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 96.30 million | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 95.70 million | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 90.70 million | -5.2% |
| 1977 | 90.51 million | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 90.34 million | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 84.81 million | -6.1% |
| 1980 | 79.55 million | -6.2% |
| 1981 | 81.39 million | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 91.53 million | +12.5% |
| 1983 | 102.31 million | +11.8% |
| 1984 | 113.54 million | +11.0% |
| 1985 | 124.99 million | +10.1% |
| 1986 | 126.32 million | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 125.76 million | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 127.38 million | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 129.47 million | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 130.73 million | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 132.58 million | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 129.93 million | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 126.12 million | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 119.50 million | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 113.33 million | -5.2% |
| 1996 | 106.57 million | -6.0% |
| 1997 | 100.53 million | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 97.07 million | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 96.30 million | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 97.18 million | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 101.27 million | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 102.87 million | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 104.63 million | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 107.04 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 110.42 million | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 113.58 million | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 118.05 million | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 122.06 million | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 125.80 million | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 122.77 million | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 116.88 million | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 111.18 million | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 104.19 million | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 95.91 million | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 92.04 million | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 89.00 million | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 86.41 million | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 84.15 million | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 83.02 million | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 81.54 million | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 80.55 million | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 79.82 million | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 79.65 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 78.92 million | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 79.22 million | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 91.25 million | 84.81 million | 96.30 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 110.22 million | 79.55 million | 129.47 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 115.27 million | 96.30 million | 132.58 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 110.29 million | 97.18 million | 125.80 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.56 million | 83.02 million | 122.77 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.95 million | 78.92 million | 81.54 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, tertiary education, both sexes in China?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in China was 79.22 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 132.58 million in 1991.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.92 million in 2024.
- How does China rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. 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, tertiary 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