Teachers in primary education, male (number) in China
China: Teachers in primary education, male (number) was 1.72 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.72 million
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
2nd
of 212 countries
All-time high
3.55 million
in 1982
All-time low
1.72 million
in 2024
Years of data
46
1974–2024
Teachers in primary education, male in China, 1974–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, teachers in primary education, male in China stood at 1.72 million. That is the lowest value across all 46 years on record.
The figure is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, teachers in primary education, male in China peaked at 3.55 million in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.72 million, in 2024.
That places China 2nd out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Teachers in primary education, male (number) in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 2.98 million | — |
| 1975 | 3.18 million | +6.8% |
| 1976 | 3.31 million | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 3.53 million | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 3.21 million | -9.0% |
| 1979 | 3.25 million | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 3.41 million | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 3.46 million | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 3.55 million | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 3.51 million | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 3.42 million | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 3.28 million | -4.1% |
| 1986 | 3.25 million | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 3.23 million | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 3.21 million | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 3.22 million | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 3.18 million | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 3.17 million | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 3.11 million | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 3.07 million | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 3.04 million | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 3.04 million | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 3.02 million | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 3.02 million | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 3.00 million | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 2.89 million | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 2.72 million | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 2.68 million | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 2.70 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 2.65 million | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 2.60 million | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 2.55 million | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 2.47 million | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 2.42 million | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.35 million | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 2.29 million | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 2.20 million | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 2.14 million | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 2.08 million | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 2.02 million | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 1.97 million | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 1.94 million | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 1.91 million | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 1.85 million | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 1.79 million | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 1.72 million | -4.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1.72 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4,188, 410.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 1.72 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,237, 530.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.24 million | 2.98 million | 3.53 million | 6 |
| 1980s | 3.35 million | 3.21 million | 3.55 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.07 million | 3.00 million | 3.18 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.71 million | 2.60 million | 2.89 million | 6 |
| 2010s | 2.25 million | 1.97 million | 2.55 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.84 million | 1.72 million | 1.94 million | 5 |
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 teachers in primary education, male in China?
- Teachers in primary education, male in China was 1.72 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest teachers in primary education, male recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3.55 million in 1982.
- What is the lowest teachers in primary education, male recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.72 million in 2024.
- How does China rank for teachers in primary education, male?
- China ranks 2nd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is teachers in primary education, male rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Teachers in primary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release