Share of the population with completed tertiary education in China
China: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 8.7 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in China, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with completed tertiary education in China is 8.7, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 123.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in China peaked at 8.7 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
China ranks 69th 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 the population with completed tertiary education in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0.1 | — |
| 1940 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1955 | 0.4 | +100.0% |
| 1960 | 0.6 | +50.0% |
| 1965 | 0.9 | +50.0% |
| 1970 | 1.1 | +22.2% |
| 1975 | 1.1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.1 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.5 | +36.4% |
| 1990 | 2.2 | +46.7% |
| 1995 | 3.1 | +40.9% |
| 2000 | 4.6 | +48.4% |
| 2005 | 4.2 | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 3.9 | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 5.4 | +38.5% |
| 2020 | 8.7 | +61.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.05 | 0 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.75 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.65 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.65 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.74 million (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.4% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 99.64 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 99.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in China?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in China was 8.7 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does China rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- China ranks 69th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 123.1%. 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 the population with completed tertiary 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).