Share of population with no formal education in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Share of population with no formal education was 0.5% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Hong Kong, China, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population with no formal education in Hong Kong, China is 0.5%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 64.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Hong Kong, China peaked at 99.9% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2020.
Hong Kong, China ranks 95th of 111 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 99.9% | — |
| 1875 | 99.6% | -0.3% |
| 1880 | 99.1% | -0.5% |
| 1885 | 98.1% | -1.0% |
| 1890 | 96.5% | -1.6% |
| 1895 | 94.0% | -2.6% |
| 1900 | 90.5% | -3.7% |
| 1905 | 88.2% | -2.5% |
| 1910 | 83.8% | -5.0% |
| 1915 | 79.8% | -4.8% |
| 1920 | 76.5% | -4.1% |
| 1925 | 69.5% | -9.2% |
| 1930 | 63.4% | -8.8% |
| 1935 | 56.0% | -11.7% |
| 1940 | 45.7% | -18.4% |
| 1945 | 39.5% | -13.6% |
| 1950 | 37.6% | -4.8% |
| 1955 | 33.5% | -10.9% |
| 1960 | 30.0% | -10.4% |
| 1965 | 23.0% | -23.3% |
| 1970 | 20.9% | -9.1% |
| 1975 | 16.6% | -20.6% |
| 1980 | 12.3% | -25.9% |
| 1985 | 9.8% | -20.3% |
| 1990 | 7.8% | -20.4% |
| 1995 | 9.9% | +26.9% |
| 2000 | 10.6% | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | -78.3% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | -39.1% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -28.6% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -50.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 99.8% | 99.6% | 99.9% | 2 |
| 1880s | 98.6% | 98.1% | 99.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 95.2% | 94.0% | 96.5% | 2 |
| 1900s | 89.3% | 88.2% | 90.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 81.8% | 79.8% | 83.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 73.0% | 69.5% | 76.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 59.7% | 56.0% | 63.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 42.6% | 39.5% | 45.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 35.5% | 33.5% | 37.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 26.5% | 23.0% | 30.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 18.8% | 16.6% | 20.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.1% | 9.8% | 12.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 8.8% | 7.8% | 9.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 2.3% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
More education data for Hong Kong, China
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 340,877 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 65,737 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 72,557 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,605 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 329,780 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 329,780 (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Hong Kong, China?
- Share of population with no formal education in Hong Kong, China was 0.5% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2020.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 95th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Hong Kong, China data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.