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Theoretical duration of primary education (years) in China

China: Theoretical duration of primary education (years) was 6 years in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
29th
of 224 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 2004
All-time low
5 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025

Theoretical duration of primary education in China, 1970–2025

0246197019972025

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for theoretical duration of primary education in China is 6 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, theoretical duration of primary education in China peaked at 6 years in 2004 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1970.

China ranks 29th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.

Theoretical duration of primary education (years) in China, year by year

Year years Change
1970 5 years —
1971 5 years +0.0%
1972 5 years +0.0%
1973 5 years +0.0%
1974 5 years +0.0%
1975 5 years +0.0%
1976 5 years +0.0%
1977 5 years +0.0%
1978 5 years +0.0%
1979 5 years +0.0%
1980 5 years +0.0%
1981 5 years +0.0%
1982 5 years +0.0%
1983 5 years +0.0%
1984 5 years +0.0%
1985 5 years +0.0%
1986 5 years +0.0%
1987 5 years +0.0%
1988 5 years +0.0%
1989 5 years +0.0%
1990 5 years +0.0%
1991 5 years +0.0%
1992 5 years +0.0%
1993 5 years +0.0%
1994 5 years +0.0%
1995 5 years +0.0%
1996 5 years +0.0%
1997 5 years +0.0%
1998 5 years +0.0%
1999 5 years +0.0%
2000 5 years +0.0%
2001 5 years +0.0%
2002 5 years +0.0%
2003 5 years +0.0%
2004 6 years +20.0%
2005 6 years +0.0%
2006 6 years +0.0%
2007 6 years +0.0%
2008 6 years +0.0%
2009 6 years +0.0%
2010 6 years +0.0%
2011 6 years +0.0%
2012 6 years +0.0%
2013 6 years +0.0%
2014 6 years +0.0%
2015 6 years +0.0%
2016 6 years +0.0%
2017 6 years +0.0%
2018 6 years +0.0%
2019 6 years +0.0%
2020 6 years +0.0%
2021 6 years +0.0%
2022 6 years +0.0%
2023 6 years +0.0%
2024 6 years +0.0%
2025 6 years +0.0%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 6 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6 years, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • China's 6 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6 years, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5 years 5 years 5 years 10
1980s 5 years 5 years 5 years 10
1990s 5 years 5 years 5 years 10
2000s 5.6 years 5 years 6 years 10
2010s 6 years 6 years 6 years 10
2020s 6 years 6 years 6 years 6

Countries ranked near China

  1. 29 Aruba 6 years compare
  2. 29 Afghanistan 6 years compare
  3. 29 Angola 6 years compare
  4. 29 Andorra 6 years compare
  5. 29 Argentina 6 years compare
  6. 29 American Samoa 6 years compare
  7. 29 Burundi 6 years compare
  8. 29 Belgium 6 years compare
  9. 29 Benin 6 years compare
  10. 29 Burkina Faso 6 years compare
  11. 29 Bahrain 6 years compare
  12. 29 Bahamas 6 years compare
  13. 29 Belize 6 years compare
  14. 29 Bermuda 6 years compare
  15. 29 Bolivia 6 years compare
  16. 29 Barbados 6 years compare
  17. 29 Brunei 6 years compare
  18. 29 Bhutan 6 years compare
  19. 29 Central African Republic 6 years compare
  20. 29 Canada 6 years compare
  21. 29 Switzerland 6 years compare
  22. 29 Chile 6 years compare
  23. 29 Cote d'Ivoire 6 years compare
  24. 29 Cameroon 6 years compare
  25. 29 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 years compare
  26. 29 Congo 6 years compare
  27. 29 Cook Islands 6 years compare
  28. 29 Cape Verde 6 years compare
  29. 29 Costa Rica 6 years compare
  30. 29 Cuba 6 years compare
  31. 29 Curacao 6 years compare
  32. 29 Cayman Islands 6 years compare
  33. 29 Cyprus 6 years compare
  34. 29 Dominican Republic 6 years compare
  35. 29 Ecuador 6 years compare
  36. 29 Egypt 6 years compare
  37. 29 Spain 6 years compare
  38. 29 Estonia 6 years compare
  39. 29 Ethiopia 6 years compare
  40. 29 Finland 6 years compare
  41. 29 Fiji 6 years compare
  42. 29 Micronesia (country) 6 years compare
  43. 29 United Kingdom 6 years compare
  44. 29 Georgia 6 years compare
  45. 29 Ghana 6 years compare
  46. 29 Gibraltar 6 years compare
  47. 29 Guinea 6 years compare
  48. 29 Gambia 6 years compare
  49. 29 Guinea-Bissau 6 years compare
  50. 29 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
  51. 29 Greece 6 years compare
  52. 29 Guatemala 6 years compare
  53. 29 Guyana 6 years compare
  54. 29 Hong Kong 6 years compare
  55. 29 Honduras 6 years compare
  56. 29 Haiti 6 years compare
  57. 29 Indonesia 6 years compare
  58. 29 Iran 6 years compare
  59. 29 Iraq 6 years compare
  60. 29 Israel 6 years compare
  61. 29 Jamaica 6 years compare
  62. 29 Jordan 6 years compare
  63. 29 Japan 6 years compare
  64. 29 Kenya 6 years compare
  65. 29 Cambodia 6 years compare
  66. 29 Kiribati 6 years compare
  67. 29 South Korea 6 years compare
  68. 29 Lebanon 6 years compare
  69. 29 Liberia 6 years compare
  70. 29 Libya 6 years compare
  71. 29 Luxembourg 6 years compare
  72. 29 Latvia 6 years compare
  73. 29 Macao 6 years compare
  74. 29 Morocco 6 years compare
  75. 29 Maldives 6 years compare
  76. 29 Mexico 6 years compare
  77. 29 Marshall Islands 6 years compare
  78. 29 Mali 6 years compare
  79. 29 Malta 6 years compare
  80. 29 Mauritania 6 years compare
  81. 29 Mauritius 6 years compare
  82. 29 Malawi 6 years compare
  83. 29 Malaysia 6 years compare
  84. 29 Niger 6 years compare
  85. 29 Nigeria 6 years compare
  86. 29 Nicaragua 6 years compare
  87. 29 Niue 6 years compare
  88. 29 Netherlands 6 years compare
  89. 29 Nauru 6 years compare
  90. 29 New Zealand 6 years compare
  91. 29 Panama 6 years compare
  92. 29 Peru 6 years compare
  93. 29 Philippines 6 years compare
  94. 29 Palau 6 years compare
  95. 29 Papua New Guinea 6 years compare
  96. 29 Puerto Rico 6 years compare
  97. 29 Portugal 6 years compare
  98. 29 Paraguay 6 years compare
  99. 29 Qatar 6 years compare
  100. 29 Rwanda 6 years compare
  101. 29 Saudi Arabia 6 years compare
  102. 29 Sudan 6 years compare
  103. 29 Senegal 6 years compare
  104. 29 Singapore 6 years compare
  105. 29 Saint Helena 6 years compare
  106. 29 Solomon Islands 6 years compare
  107. 29 Sierra Leone 6 years compare
  108. 29 El Salvador 6 years compare
  109. 29 South Sudan 6 years compare
  110. 29 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years compare
  111. 29 Suriname 6 years compare
  112. 29 Slovenia 6 years compare
  113. 29 Sweden 6 years compare
  114. 29 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 6 years compare
  115. 29 Seychelles 6 years compare
  116. 29 Syria 6 years compare
  117. 29 Turks and Caicos Islands 6 years compare
  118. 29 Chad 6 years compare
  119. 29 Togo 6 years compare
  120. 29 Thailand 6 years compare
  121. 29 Tokelau 6 years compare
  122. 29 East Timor 6 years compare
  123. 29 Tonga 6 years compare
  124. 29 Tunisia 6 years compare
  125. 29 Tuvalu 6 years compare
  126. 29 Uruguay 6 years compare
  127. 29 United States 6 years compare
  128. 29 Venezuela 6 years compare
  129. 29 United States Virgin Islands 6 years compare
  130. 29 Vanuatu 6 years compare
  131. 29 Samoa 6 years compare
  132. 29 Yemen 6 years compare

See the full ranking of 224 places →

More education data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is theoretical duration of primary education in China?
Theoretical duration of primary education in China was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest theoretical duration of primary education recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 6 years in 2004.
What is the lowest theoretical duration of primary education recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
How does China rank for theoretical duration of primary education?
China ranks 29th out of 224 countries with data for 2025.
Is theoretical duration of primary education rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Theoretical duration of primary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Theoretical duration of primary education in China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 October 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/theoretical-duration-of-primary-education-years/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Theoretical duration of primary education (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
224 places, 12,152 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release