School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of)

China (People’s Republic of): School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 12.43 years in 2010. ▲ Rising

Latest (2010)
12.43 years
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
109th
of 183 countries
All-time high
12.43 years
in 2010
All-time low
6.46 years
in 1970
Years of data
30
1970–2010

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of), 1970–2010

02.557.51012.51970199020101970: 6.5 years1973: 7.8 years1974: 7.9 years1975: 8 years1976: 8.4 years1977: 8.7 years1978: 8.8 years1979: 8.5 years1980: 8.1 years1981: 8 years1984: 7.5 years1985: 7.8 years1986: 8.2 years1987: 8.4 years1988: 8.5 years1989: 8.6 years1990: 8.6 years1991: 8.7 years1992: 8.8 years1993: 8.8 years1994: 8.8 years1995: 8.9 years1996: 9.1 years1997: 9.1 years2001: 9.9 years2006: 11.4 years2007: 11.7 years2008: 12 years2009: 12.2 years2010: 12.4 years

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2010, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of) stood at 12.43 years. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 25.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 12.43 years in 2010 and was at its lowest, 6.46 years, in 1970.

That places China (People’s Republic of) 109th out of 183 countries with data for 2010, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of), year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) in China (People’s Republic of), 1970 to 2010.
Year years Change
1970 6.46 years
1973 7.82 years +21.0%
1974 7.88 years +0.8%
1975 8.03 years +2.0%
1976 8.36 years +4.1%
1977 8.72 years +4.3%
1978 8.8 years +1.0%
1979 8.5 years -3.4%
1980 8.14 years -4.3%
1981 7.99 years -1.8%
1984 7.46 years -6.6%
1985 7.82 years +4.7%
1986 8.18 years +4.6%
1987 8.36 years +2.2%
1988 8.55 years +2.2%
1989 8.61 years +0.7%
1990 8.63 years +0.3%
1991 8.67 years +0.5%
1992 8.77 years +1.2%
1993 8.81 years +0.5%
1994 8.81 years -0.1%
1995 8.95 years +1.6%
1996 9.08 years +1.5%
1997 9.12 years +0.4%
2001 9.88 years +8.3%
2006 11.4 years +15.3%
2007 11.72 years +2.9%
2008 11.99 years +2.3%
2009 12.23 years +2.0%
2010 12.43 years +1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8.07 years 6.46 years 8.8 years 8
1980s 8.14 years 7.46 years 8.61 years 8
1990s 8.86 years 8.63 years 9.12 years 8
2000s 11.45 years 9.88 years 12.23 years 5
2010s 12.43 years 12.43 years 12.43 years 1

Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)

  1. 106 Togo 12.66 years compare
  2. 107 Benin 12.61 years compare
  3. 108 Uzbekistan 12.48 years compare
  4. 110 Botswana 12.42 years compare
  5. 111 Sao Tome and Principe 12.38 years compare
  6. 112 Jamaica 12.34 years compare

See the full ranking of 228 places →

More education data for China (People’s Republic of)

All data for China (People’s Republic of) →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of)?
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of) was 12.43 years in 2010, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The highest recorded value was 12.43 years in 2010.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The lowest recorded value was 6.46 years in 1970.
How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 109th out of 183 countries with data for 2010.
Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in China (People’s Republic of). Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-both-sexes-years/china/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
228 places, 7,038 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.