School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in China
China: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 6.12 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in China, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
China recorded 6.12 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2019.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in China peaked at 6.28 years in 1990 and was at its lowest, 5.29 years, in 1998.
That places China 101st out of 199 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.68 years | 5.32 years | 6.08 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.82 years | 5.49 years | 6.27 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.81 years | 5.29 years | 6.28 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.95 years | 5.76 years | 6.02 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 5.93 years | 5.75 years | 6.12 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in China?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in China was 6.12 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 6.28 years in 1990.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.29 years in 1998.
- How does China rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- China ranks 101st out of 199 countries with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. 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 School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.