Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in China

China: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 0.5% in 1999. ▲ Rising

Latest (1999)
0.5%
Change on year
up 57.6%
World rank
121st
of 160 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 1986
All-time low
0.2%
in 1971
Years of data
25
1971–1999

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in China, 1971–1999

0.20.40.60.81971198519991971: 0.193 %1972: 0.229 %1973: 0.26 %1974: 0.281 %1975: 0.273 %1976: 0.305 %1977: 0.29 %1978: 0.407 %1979: 0.567 %1980: 0.586 %1981: 0.615 %1982: 0.621 %1983: 0.676 %1984: 0.679 %1985: 0.685 %1986: 0.704 %1987: 0.58 %1988: 0.518 %1992: 0.429 %1993: 0.384 %1994: 0.425 %1995: 0.36 %1996: 0.364 %1998: 0.287 %1999: 0.453 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 1999, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in China stood at 0.5%.

The figure is up 57.6% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in China peaked at 0.7% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1971.

That places China 121st out of 160 countries with data for 1999, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in China, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in China, 1971 to 1999.
Year % Change
1971 0.2%
1972 0.2% +18.6%
1973 0.3% +13.3%
1974 0.3% +8.4%
1975 0.3% -3.0%
1976 0.3% +11.9%
1977 0.3% -5.2%
1978 0.4% +40.5%
1979 0.6% +39.3%
1980 0.6% +3.5%
1981 0.6% +4.9%
1982 0.6% +1.0%
1983 0.7% +8.8%
1984 0.7% +0.4%
1985 0.7% +1.0%
1986 0.7% +2.8%
1987 0.6% -17.6%
1988 0.5% -10.7%
1992 0.4% -17.2%
1993 0.4% -10.4%
1994 0.4% +10.5%
1995 0.4% -15.2%
1996 0.4% +1.2%
1998 0.3% -21.1%
1999 0.5% +57.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.3% 0.2% 0.6% 9
1980s 0.6% 0.5% 0.7% 9
1990s 0.4% 0.3% 0.5% 7

Countries ranked near China

  1. 118 Luxembourg 0.5% compare
  2. 119 Côte d'Ivoire 0.5% compare
  3. 120 Bangladesh 0.5% compare
  4. 122 Azerbaijan 0.4% compare
  5. 123 Sri Lanka 0.4% compare
  6. 124 Guatemala 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in China?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in China was 0.5% in 1999, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1986.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1971.
How does China rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
China ranks 121st out of 160 countries with data for 1999.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. 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 Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/