Share of population 15 years and older with no education in China
China: Share of population 15 years and older with no education was 1.3 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population 15 years and older with no education in China, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population 15 years and older with no education in China is 1.3, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population 15 years and older with no education in China peaked at 100 in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1.3, in 2020.
China ranks 79th of 111 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.
Share of population 15 years and older with no education in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 100 | — |
| 1875 | 100 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 100 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 99.9 | -0.1% |
| 1890 | 99.9 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 99.8 | -0.1% |
| 1900 | 99.7 | -0.1% |
| 1905 | 99.5 | -0.2% |
| 1910 | 99.2 | -0.3% |
| 1915 | 98.8 | -0.4% |
| 1920 | 98.1 | -0.7% |
| 1925 | 96.5 | -1.6% |
| 1930 | 94.5 | -2.1% |
| 1935 | 92.3 | -2.3% |
| 1940 | 75.2 | -18.5% |
| 1945 | 72.6 | -3.5% |
| 1950 | 68.6 | -5.5% |
| 1955 | 61.4 | -10.5% |
| 1960 | 53.4 | -13.0% |
| 1965 | 45.1 | -15.5% |
| 1970 | 35.6 | -21.1% |
| 1975 | 28.6 | -19.7% |
| 1980 | 19.7 | -31.1% |
| 1985 | 18 | -8.6% |
| 1990 | 17.8 | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 11.7 | -34.3% |
| 2000 | 6.5 | -44.4% |
| 2005 | 4.2 | -35.4% |
| 2010 | 2.6 | -38.1% |
| 2015 | 2 | -23.1% |
| 2020 | 1.3 | -35.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1.3 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.6, 50% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- China's 1.3 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.7, 76% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population 15 years and older with no education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | -44.4% | 11.7 | 6.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 100 | 100 | 100 | 2 |
| 1880s | 99.95 | 99.9 | 100 | 2 |
| 1890s | 99.85 | 99.8 | 99.9 | 2 |
| 1900s | 99.6 | 99.5 | 99.7 | 2 |
| 1910s | 99 | 98.8 | 99.2 | 2 |
| 1920s | 97.3 | 96.5 | 98.1 | 2 |
| 1930s | 93.4 | 92.3 | 94.5 | 2 |
| 1940s | 73.9 | 72.6 | 75.2 | 2 |
| 1950s | 65 | 61.4 | 68.6 | 2 |
| 1960s | 49.25 | 45.1 | 53.4 | 2 |
| 1970s | 32.1 | 28.6 | 35.6 | 2 |
| 1980s | 18.85 | 18 | 19.7 | 2 |
| 1990s | 14.75 | 11.7 | 17.8 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.35 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.3 | 2 | 2.6 | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 93.37 (1997)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.32 (1997)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population 15 years and older with no education in China?
- Share of population 15 years and older with no education in China was 1.3 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population 15 years and older with no education recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 100 in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population 15 years and older with no education recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3 in 2020.
- How does China rank for share of population 15 years and older with no education?
- China ranks 79th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population 15 years and older with no education rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population 15 years and older with no education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).