School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in China
China: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 13.2 years in 2012. ▲ Rising
Latest (2012)
13.2 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
108th
of 186 countries
All-time high
13.2 years
in 2012
All-time low
7.07 years
in 1970
Years of data
32
1970–2012
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China, 1970–2012
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
China recorded 13.2 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2012. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China peaked at 13.2 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 7.07 years, in 1970.
China ranks 108th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.07 years | — |
| 1973 | 7.58 years | +7.1% |
| 1974 | 7.67 years | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 7.95 years | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 8.24 years | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 8.68 years | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 8.77 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 8.41 years | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 7.92 years | -5.8% |
| 1981 | 7.84 years | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 7.79 years | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 8.26 years | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 8.65 years | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 8.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 8.81 years | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 8.74 years | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 8.63 years | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 8.63 years | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 8.64 years | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 8.65 years | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 8.63 years | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 8.77 years | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 9.01 years | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 9.17 years | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 10.16 years | +10.8% |
| 2006 | 11.81 years | +16.3% |
| 2007 | 12.12 years | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 12.43 years | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 12.76 years | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 12.95 years | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 13.06 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 13.2 years | +1.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 13.2 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.13 years, 93% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- China's 13.2 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.21 years, 93% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.05 years | 7.07 years | 8.77 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 8.34 years | 7.79 years | 8.81 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 8.77 years | 8.63 years | 9.17 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 11.86 years | 10.16 years | 12.76 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 13.07 years | 12.95 years | 13.2 years | 3 |
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 to tertiary, both sexes in China?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China was 13.2 years in 2012, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 13.2 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.07 years in 1970.
- How does China rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- China ranks 108th out of 186 countries with data for 2012.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.0%. 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 to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release