Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in China (People’s Republic of)

China (People’s Republic of): Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr was 81.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
81.9%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
157th
of 205 countries
All-time high
99.8%
in 1970
All-time low
77.6%
in 2013
Years of data
45
1970–2019

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in China (People’s Republic of), 1970–2019

0204060801001970199420191970: 99.8 %1971: 99.8 %1972: 99.3 %1973: 99.1 %1974: 98.6 %1975: 98.3 %1976: 98.4 %1977: 98.8 %1978: 99 %1979: 98.7 %1980: 98 %1981: 97 %1982: 96.9 %1983: 96.3 %1984: 93.8 %1985: 92.5 %1986: 91.1 %1987: 90.4 %1988: 89.9 %1989: 88.8 %1990: 87.9 %1991: 87.5 %1992: 87.2 %1993: 86.6 %1994: 85.3 %1995: 84.5 %1996: 84.2 %1997: 84.1 %1999: 83.5 %2000: 84.9 %2003: 88.2 %2006: 84.9 %2007: 83.1 %2008: 81.4 %2009: 80.3 %2010: 79.4 %2011: 79.2 %2012: 79.3 %2013: 77.6 %2014: 78.3 %2015: 79.6 %2016: 80.3 %2017: 80.8 %2018: 81.1 %2019: 81.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

China (People’s Republic of) recorded 81.9% for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 99.8% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 77.6%, in 2013.

China (People’s Republic of) ranks 157th of 205 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in China (People’s Republic of), year by year

Annual values for Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%) in China (People’s Republic of), 1970 to 2019.
Year % Change
1970 99.8%
1971 99.8% -0.1%
1972 99.3% -0.5%
1973 99.1% -0.3%
1974 98.6% -0.4%
1975 98.3% -0.3%
1976 98.4% +0.2%
1977 98.8% +0.4%
1978 99.0% +0.2%
1979 98.7% -0.3%
1980 98.0% -0.7%
1981 97.0% -1.0%
1982 96.9% -0.1%
1983 96.3% -0.6%
1984 93.8% -2.6%
1985 92.5% -1.4%
1986 91.1% -1.5%
1987 90.4% -0.8%
1988 89.9% -0.6%
1989 88.8% -1.2%
1990 87.9% -1.0%
1991 87.5% -0.4%
1992 87.2% -0.4%
1993 86.6% -0.7%
1994 85.3% -1.5%
1995 84.5% -0.9%
1996 84.2% -0.4%
1997 84.1% -0.1%
1999 83.5% -0.6%
2000 84.9% +1.6%
2003 88.2% +3.9%
2006 84.9% -3.8%
2007 83.1% -2.1%
2008 81.4% -2.1%
2009 80.3% -1.3%
2010 79.4% -1.1%
2011 79.2% -0.3%
2012 79.3% +0.1%
2013 77.6% -2.1%
2014 78.3% +0.9%
2015 79.6% +1.7%
2016 80.3% +0.8%
2017 80.8% +0.7%
2018 81.1% +0.4%
2019 81.9% +1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 99.0% 98.3% 99.8% 10
1980s 93.5% 88.8% 98.0% 10
1990s 85.7% 83.5% 87.9% 9
2000s 83.8% 80.3% 88.2% 6
2010s 79.8% 77.6% 81.9% 10

Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)

  1. 154 El Salvador 82.4% compare
  2. 155 Malta 82.3% compare
  3. 156 Iceland 82.0% compare
  4. 158 Spain 81.2% compare
  5. 159 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 81.1% compare
  6. 160 Germany 80.8% compare

See the full ranking of 250 places →

More reference data data for China (People’s Republic of)

All data for China (People’s Republic of) →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in China (People’s Republic of)?
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in China (People’s Republic of) was 81.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 1970.
What is the lowest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The lowest recorded value was 77.6% in 2013.
How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 157th out of 205 countries with data for 2019.
Is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general progr in China (People’s Republic of). Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-all-students-in-secondary-education-enrolled-in-general-programmes-percent/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
250 places, 8,733 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in general programmes at the secondary education level, expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled in all programmes (vocational and general) at the secondary level. General education is designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies and literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced educational programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. General educational programmes are typically school- or college-based. General education includes educational programmes that are designed to prepare students for entry into vocational education, but that do not prepare for employment in a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades, nor lead directly to a labour market relevant qualification.