School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in China
China: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 11.73 years in 2012. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in China, 1970–2012
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2012, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in China stood at 11.73 years. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in China peaked at 11.73 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 1971.
That places China 101st out of 213 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.07 years | — |
| 1971 | 7 years | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 7.12 years | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 7.57 years | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 7.65 years | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 7.93 years | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 8.22 years | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 8.64 years | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 8.74 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 8.35 years | -4.4% |
| 1980 | 7.86 years | -6.0% |
| 1981 | 7.74 years | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 7.55 years | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 7.57 years | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 7.7 years | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 8.15 years | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 8.51 years | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 8.55 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 8.66 years | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 8.59 years | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 8.48 years | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 8.49 years | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 8.5 years | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 8.5 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 8.44 years | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 8.54 years | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 8.75 years | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 8.88 years | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 9.66 years | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 10.77 years | +11.5% |
| 2007 | 11.02 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 11.31 years | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 11.59 years | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 11.67 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 11.71 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 11.73 years | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.83 years | 7 years | 8.74 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.09 years | 7.55 years | 8.66 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.57 years | 8.44 years | 8.88 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.87 years | 9.66 years | 11.59 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 11.7 years | 11.67 years | 11.73 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
- 98 Kuwait 11.77 years compare
- 99 Viet Nam 11.75 years compare
- 100 Bahrain 11.74 years compare
- 102 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11.72 years compare
- 103 Uzbekistan 11.67 years compare
- 104 Trinidad and Tobago 11.65 years compare
More education data for China
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in China?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in China was 11.73 years in 2012, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 11.73 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 1971.
- How does China rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- China ranks 101st out of 213 countries with data for 2012.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release