School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in China
China: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes was 2.67 years in 2019. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in China, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
China recorded 2.67 years for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in 2019. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
The figure is up 6.4% on the previous year and up 138.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in China peaked at 2.67 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.0064 years, in 1970.
China ranks 62nd of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0064 years | — |
| 1973 | 0.0103 years | +61.0% |
| 1974 | 0.0169 years | +64.0% |
| 1975 | 0.0238 years | +40.6% |
| 1976 | 0.0283 years | +18.7% |
| 1977 | 0.0319 years | +12.8% |
| 1978 | 0.0353 years | +10.9% |
| 1979 | 0.0483 years | +36.8% |
| 1980 | 0.0565 years | +17.0% |
| 1981 | 0.0891 years | +57.6% |
| 1984 | 0.1009 years | +13.3% |
| 1985 | 0.1218 years | +20.7% |
| 1986 | 0.1486 years | +22.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1556 years | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 0.1541 years | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1496 years | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 0.1486 years | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 0.1446 years | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.1403 years | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 0.1445 years | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 0.1806 years | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 0.2195 years | +21.6% |
| 1996 | 0.2458 years | +12.0% |
| 1997 | 0.2675 years | +8.8% |
| 1998 | 0.2932 years | +9.6% |
| 1999 | 0.3197 years | +9.0% |
| 2000 | 0.3795 years | +18.7% |
| 2001 | 0.4895 years | +29.0% |
| 2002 | 0.6314 years | +29.0% |
| 2003 | 0.7726 years | +22.4% |
| 2004 | 0.8846 years | +14.5% |
| 2005 | 0.9544 years | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 1.03 years | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 1.05 years | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 1.06 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.12 years | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 1.21 years | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 1.28 years | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 1.44 years | +12.0% |
| 2013 | 1.6 years | +11.5% |
| 2014 | 2.1 years | +30.9% |
| 2015 | 2.27 years | +8.3% |
| 2016 | 2.37 years | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 2.43 years | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 2.51 years | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 2.67 years | +6.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2.67 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.96 years, 1.4× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- China's 2.67 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.67 years, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0251 years | 0.0064 years | 0.0483 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 0.122 years | 0.0565 years | 0.1556 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.2104 years | 0.1403 years | 0.3197 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8377 years | 0.3795 years | 1.12 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.99 years | 1.21 years | 2.67 years | 10 |
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, tertiary, both sexes in China?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in China was 2.67 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2.67 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0064 years in 1970.
- How does China rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- China ranks 62nd out of 183 countries with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 138.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.