School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in China
China: School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) was 5.93 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
5.93 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
101st
of 215 countries
All-time high
7.03 years
in 1986
All-time low
5.5 years
in 1998
Years of data
45
1974–2024
School life expectancy, primary, male in China, 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, male in China stood at 5.93 years.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, male in China peaked at 7.03 years in 1986 and was at its lowest, 5.5 years, in 1998.
That places China 101st out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 6.15 years | — |
| 1975 | 6.17 years | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 6.29 years | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 6.15 years | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 5.9 years | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 5.9 years | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 5.84 years | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 5.98 years | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 6.1 years | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 6.31 years | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 6.46 years | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 6.85 years | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 7.03 years | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 6.84 years | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 6.98 years | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 6.65 years | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 6.46 years | -2.9% |
| 1991 | 6.26 years | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 6.05 years | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 5.89 years | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 5.76 years | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 5.71 years | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 5.69 years | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 5.64 years | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 5.5 years | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 5.91 years | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 6.23 years | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 6.26 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 6.3 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 6.28 years | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 6.22 years | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 6.18 years | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 6.17 years | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 6.13 years | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 5.86 years | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 5.82 years | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 5.84 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 5.87 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 5.87 years | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 5.87 years | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 5.91 years | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 5.92 years | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 5.97 years | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 5.91 years | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 5.93 years | +0.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 5.93 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.8 years, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 5.93 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.04 years, 98% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.09 years | 5.9 years | 6.29 years | 6 |
| 1980s | 6.5 years | 5.84 years | 7.03 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.88 years | 5.5 years | 6.46 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.19 years | 5.91 years | 6.3 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 5.98 years | 5.82 years | 6.22 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.93 years | 5.91 years | 5.97 years | 5 |
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 life expectancy, primary, male in China?
- School life expectancy, primary, male in China was 5.93 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 7.03 years in 1986.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5 years in 1998.
- How does China rank for school life expectancy, primary, male?
- China ranks 101st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, male rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. 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 life expectancy, primary, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release