Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China

China: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male was 22.61 million number in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
22.61 million number
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
1st
of 187 countries
All-time high
22.61 million number
in 2019
All-time low
217,145 number
in 1974
Years of data
25
1974–2019

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China, 1974–2019

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M1974199620191974: 217.1k number1975: 284.8k number1976: 337.7k number1977: 378.2k number1978: 443.7k number1979: 649.9k number1980: 774.2k number1994: 3.0M number2003: 8.5M number2004: 9.9M number2005: 11.1M number2006: 12.4M number2007: 13.2M number2008: 13.7M number2009: 14.9M number2010: 15.6M number2011: 15.6M number2012: 16.2M number2013: 16.8M number2014: 20.5M number2015: 21.0M number2016: 21.2M number2017: 21.3M number2018: 21.6M number2019: 22.6M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China is 22.61 million number, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.6% on the previous year and up 52.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China peaked at 22.61 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 217,145 number, in 1974.

That places China 1st out of 187 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) in China, 1974 to 2019.
Year number Change
1974 217,145 number
1975 284,822 number +31.2%
1976 337,703 number +18.6%
1977 378,245 number +12.0%
1978 443,696 number +17.3%
1979 649,850 number +46.5%
1980 774,246 number +19.1%
1994 3.01 million number +288.2%
2003 8.53 million number +183.8%
2004 9.86 million number +15.6%
2005 11.13 million number +12.9%
2006 12.37 million number +11.1%
2007 13.21 million number +6.8%
2008 13.67 million number +3.5%
2009 14.87 million number +8.8%
2010 15.62 million number +5.0%
2011 15.60 million number -0.1%
2012 16.17 million number +3.6%
2013 16.80 million number +3.9%
2014 20.50 million number +22.0%
2015 21.05 million number +2.7%
2016 21.18 million number +0.6%
2017 21.29 million number +0.5%
2018 21.62 million number +1.5%
2019 22.61 million number +4.6%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 22.61 million number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 108,092 number, 209.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • China's 22.61 million number is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 104,466 number, 216.5× the median. (26 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1994 +288.2% 774,246 number 3.01 million number
2003 +183.8% 3.01 million number 8.53 million number

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 385,244 number 217,145 number 649,850 number 6
1980s 774,246 number 774,246 number 774,246 number 1
1990s 3.01 million number 3.01 million number 3.01 million number 1
2000s 11.95 million number 8.53 million number 14.87 million number 7
2010s 19.24 million number 15.60 million number 22.61 million number 10

Countries ranked near China

  1. 2 India 17.65 million number compare
  2. 3 United States 8.22 million number compare
  3. 4 Turkey 4.05 million number compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China?
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China was 22.61 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 22.61 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 217,145 number in 1974.
How does China rank for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male?
China ranks 1st out of 187 countries with data for 2019.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 52.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male in China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-all-programmes-male-number/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
232 places, 7,125 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The total number of male students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.