School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in China
China: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 5.54 years in 2012. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in China, 1970–2012
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
China recorded 5.54 years for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in 2012. That is the highest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in China peaked at 5.54 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.03 years, in 1970.
China ranks 111th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.03 years | — |
| 1971 | 1.37 years | +33.7% |
| 1972 | 1.76 years | +27.8% |
| 1973 | 2.15 years | +22.7% |
| 1974 | 2.33 years | +8.2% |
| 1975 | 2.3 years | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 2.33 years | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 2.86 years | +22.9% |
| 1978 | 3.19 years | +11.7% |
| 1979 | 2.86 years | -10.6% |
| 1980 | 2.42 years | -15.4% |
| 1981 | 2.2 years | -8.9% |
| 1982 | 1.96 years | -11.1% |
| 1983 | 1.81 years | -7.6% |
| 1984 | 1.79 years | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 1.88 years | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 1.96 years | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 2.11 years | +7.7% |
| 1988 | 2.23 years | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 2.29 years | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 2.34 years | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 2.49 years | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 2.67 years | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 2.81 years | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 2.83 years | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 2.94 years | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 3.14 years | +6.8% |
| 1997 | 3.28 years | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 3.52 years | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 3.69 years | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 3.71 years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 3.79 years | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 3.88 years | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 4.5 years | +16.0% |
| 2007 | 4.74 years | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 4.99 years | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 5.29 years | +6.0% |
| 2010 | 5.45 years | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 5.53 years | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 5.54 years | +0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 5.54 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.89 years, 94% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 5.54 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.77 years, 96% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +33.7% | 1.03 years | 1.37 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.22 years | 1.03 years | 3.19 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.06 years | 1.79 years | 2.42 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.89 years | 2.34 years | 3.52 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.32 years | 3.69 years | 5.29 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 5.5 years | 5.45 years | 5.54 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, secondary, both sexes in China?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in China was 5.54 years in 2012, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 5.54 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.03 years in 1970.
- How does China rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- China ranks 111th out of 214 countries with data for 2012.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.2%. 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, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release