Years of schooling in China
China: Years of schooling was 8.04 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8.04
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
127th
of 192 countries
All-time high
8.04
in 2021
All-time low
4.14
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Years of schooling in China, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, years of schooling in China stood at 8.04. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, years of schooling in China peaked at 8.04 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.14, in 1990.
China ranks 127th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Years of schooling in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.14 | — |
| 1991 | 4.34 | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 4.54 | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 4.73 | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 4.93 | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 5.13 | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 5.33 | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 5.53 | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 5.72 | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 5.92 | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 6.12 | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 6.21 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 6.31 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 6.4 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 6.5 | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 6.59 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 6.68 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 6.78 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 6.87 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 6.97 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 7.06 | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 7.15 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 7.25 | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 7.34 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 7.44 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 7.53 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 7.63 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 7.72 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 7.82 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 7.88 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 7.95 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 8.04 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 8.04 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8.04 | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 8.04 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.11, 79% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 8.04 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.43, 85% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.03 | 4.14 | 5.92 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.54 | 6.12 | 6.97 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.48 | 7.06 | 7.88 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.01 | 7.95 | 8.04 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 93.37 (1997)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.32 (1997)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is years of schooling in China?
- Years of schooling in China was 8.04 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest years of schooling recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 8.04 in 2021.
- What is the lowest years of schooling recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.14 in 1990.
- How does China rank for years of schooling?
- China ranks 127th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is years of schooling rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).