Teachers in primary education, both sexes in China
China: Teachers in primary education, both sexes was 6.74 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.74 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
1st
of 216 countries
All-time high
6.74 million
in 2024
All-time low
3.49 million
in 1970
Years of data
50
1970–2024
Teachers in primary education, both sexes in China, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, teachers in primary education, both sexes in China stood at 6.74 million. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, teachers in primary education, both sexes in China peaked at 6.74 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.49 million, in 1970.
China ranks 1st of 216 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Teachers in primary education, both sexes in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.49 million | — |
| 1971 | 3.61 million | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 4.09 million | +13.4% |
| 1973 | 4.40 million | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 4.68 million | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 4.94 million | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 5.20 million | +5.2% |
| 1977 | 5.29 million | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 5.23 million | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 5.23 million | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5.38 million | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 5.50 million | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 5.58 million | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 5.50 million | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 5.42 million | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 5.37 million | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 5.38 million | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 5.41 million | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 5.43 million | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 5.50 million | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 5.54 million | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 5.58 million | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 5.53 million | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 5.53 million | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 5.55 million | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 5.61 million | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 5.66 million | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 5.74 million | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 5.79 million | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 5.86 million | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 5.78 million | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 5.97 million | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 6.07 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 6.04 million | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 6.02 million | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 6.00 million | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 5.94 million | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 5.91 million | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 5.87 million | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 5.86 million | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 5.89 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 5.93 million | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 6.05 million | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 6.20 million | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 6.36 million | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 6.53 million | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 6.68 million | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 6.70 million | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 6.72 million | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 6.74 million | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.62 million | 3.49 million | 5.29 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.45 million | 5.37 million | 5.58 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.62 million | 5.53 million | 5.79 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.96 million | 5.78 million | 6.07 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 6.00 million | 5.86 million | 6.36 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.67 million | 6.53 million | 6.74 million | 5 |
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 teachers in primary education, both sexes in China?
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes in China was 6.74 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest teachers in primary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 6.74 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest teachers in primary education, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.49 million in 1970.
- How does China rank for teachers in primary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 1st out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is teachers in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. 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 Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release