China
China
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Country reports and publications 
China
Overview of the education system (EAG 2025)
| Education at a Glance 2025 | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2025 | OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018 | Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China | National Bureau of Statistics of China |
Select first some countries to compare, choose the charts you wish to display and customise them.
The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries.
The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD
and partner countries.
Find out more about the methodology here.
Show indicators for which your country ranks among the top or bottom:
Sort by:
Participation in education
In China, the share of female students in lower secondary general programmes was among the smallest internationally. (46.5 %, rank 47/47 , 2023) Download Indicator
In China, the enrolment rate of children under 3 is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.6 %, rank 37/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of two-year-olds in early childhood education in China is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (4.5 %, rank 36/40 , 2023) Download Indicator
The percentage of five-year-olds in ECEC in China is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (100 %, rank 1/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
Graduation by field of education and gender
In China, the share of female graduates in tertiary education in all fields is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (51.7 %, rank 40/44 , 2023) Download Indicator
Student mobility
China has one of the smallest proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in tertiary education among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.3 %, rank 42/45 , 2023) Download Indicator
In China, the share of international or foreign students enrolled in tertiary education among men is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (0.4 %, rank 39/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
In China, the share of international or foreign students enrolled in tertiary education among women is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (0.3 %, rank 39/42 , 2023) Download Indicator
Expenditure per student
Annual expenditure per tertiary student is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (7157 USD Equivalent, rank 39/42 , 2022) Download Indicator
Annual expenditure per student from primary to tertiary level is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5161 USD Equivalent, rank 37/40 , 2022) Download Indicator
Annual expenditure per primary student is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (3835 USD Equivalent, rank 36/40 , 2022) Download Indicator
Annual expenditure per secondary student is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5473 USD Equivalent, rank 35/39 , 2022) Download Indicator
In China, the annual expenditure on educational institutions per full-time equivalent student in primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education, is relatively low. (4596 USD Equivalent, rank 36/40 , 2022) Download Indicator
Annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student in primary to tertiary education is one the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (4577 USD Equivalent, rank 36/40 , 2022) Download Indicator
In China, public expenditure from initial source of funds on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education per student is relatively low. (4530 USD Equivalent, rank 39/42 , 2022) Download Indicator
China has a total expenditure on educational institutions per full-time equivalent student (primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education) comparatively low. (4076 USD Equivalent, rank 36/40 , 2022) Download Indicator
The public expenditure on public educational institutions per full-time equivalent student from primary to tertiary education is relatively lowest in China. (4613 USD Equivalent, rank 38/41 , 2022) Download Indicator
From 2012 to 2018, the average annual growth in total expenditure on primary to tertiary education in China is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (4916 USD Equivalent, rank 38/40 , 2022) Download Indicator
In China, the total annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student on tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (6347 USD Equivalent, rank 39/42 , 2022) Download Indicator
Ratio of student to teaching staff
In China, the number of students per teacher in public institutions tertiary education is one of the highest among countries with available data. (22.2 Ratio, rank 5/39 , 2023) Download Indicator
In China, the number of students per teacher in public institutions short-cycle tertiary education is one of the highest among countries with available data. (26.2 Ratio, rank 4/20 , 2023) Download Indicator
In China, the number of students per teacher in public bachelor's, master's, doctoral or equivalent programmes is one of the highest among countries with available data. (19.8 Ratio, rank 5/34 , 2023) Download Indicator
In China, the number of students per teacher in private bachelor's, master's, doctoral or equivalent programmes is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (12.3 Ratio, rank 25/29 , 2023) Download Indicator
The data table will display up to six selected countries.
General findings
- Tertiary attainment among young adults has reached 48% on average across the OECD, the highest level ever, but progress has slowed since 2021. Attainment remains unequal, with women generally outpacing men, and older generations showing lower rates.
- Employment outcomes for tertiary-educated adults remain strong overall: 87% of them are employed compared to 60% of those without upper seconday. Tertiary education offers good protection against unemployment, but women and disadvantaged groups still face labour market gaps, and inactivity persists among some adults. Moreover, adults with tertiary education earn on average 54% more than those with only upper secondary education.
- Gender pay gaps remain significant. Despite higher attainment, women with tertiary education consistently earn less than men, even when working full-time, and this gap persists across age groups (73% on average for women aged 25 to 64).
- Fields of study strongly influence labour market outcomes. Graduates in engineering and in health and welfare fare particularly well, while women’s participation in STEM remains below parity (14% of graduates at tertiary level) despite being 58% of all tertiary graduates.
- Internationalisation continues to expand in tertiary education. The share of international students has grown steadily, and OECD countries host a large proportion of the world’s mobile students, reinforcing their global role in higher education.
- Sustaining tertiary education requires adequate investment. Spending per student is already at 21 021 USD and rising, and tertiary expenditure represents a notable share of GDP (1.4% on average in OECD), making efficiency and equity crucial for long-term sustainability.
| Education policies: Attainment | Education policies: Access and Participation | Education policies: Finance and Funding | Education policies: Labour market outcomes |
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- Although many countries have near universal upper secondary attainment among 25–34 year-olds, on average across the OECD 13% of younger adults still lack an upper secondary qualification.
- NEET shares are now below pre-pandemic levels in about half of OECD and partner countries with trend data; in 8 of these 16 countries the decline exceeds 1 percentage point, while 17 countries exceed pre-pandemic benchmarks and 6 saw increases of more than 2 percentage points.
- Employment rates rise steadily with higher tertiary attainment: short-cycle 83%, bachelor’s 86%, master’s 90%, and doctoral or equivalent 93% among 25–64 year-olds.
- Earnings premiums also increase with qualification level: on average across the OECD, short-cycle graduates earn 17% more than those with upper secondary; the advantage is 39% for bachelor’s and 83% for master’s/doctoral graduates.
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- Most children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in early childhood education, with an average participation rate of 85% across the OECD. By contrast, only 29% of children under the age of 3 are enrolled.
- Participation in early childhood education has grown over the past decade, with enrolment for children under age 3 increasing by 9 percentage points to 29%, and enrolment for ages 3 and above rising by 5 points to 85%.
- The majority of students in vocational upper secondary education follow programmes that grant full access to tertiary education, with 76% of students enrolled in such programmes on average across the OECD.
- Completion rates for bachelor’s programmes increase after the theoretical duration of programmes: on average, 44% of students graduate on time, compared to 69% three years after.
- Students from Asia form the largest regional group of internationally mobile students in tertiary education, representing 58% of all foreign or international students across the OECD in 2023.
- Only 43% of students complete a bachelor’s degree within the expected duration, though this rises to 59% with one additional year and 70% with three additional years on average across the OECD.
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- Governments spend on average USD 12 438 per student in primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education, and USD 15 102 per student in tertiary education including R&D.
- Expenditure per student has risen in absolute terms since 2015, but its share in public budgets has declined, with government spending on education at almost 15% of total government expenditure on average in 2022.
- Annual spending per student at primary and secondary levels varies widely across OECD countries, from under USD 3 000 in some systems to over USD 25 000 in the most highly funded ones.
- Tertiary education continues to expand, placing pressure on public budgets. Private sources represent a larger share of total funding at the tertiary level than at any other level of education.
- Spending per student differs markedly between public and private institutions, with expenditure in public tertiary institutions exceeding USD 33 000 in some countries, compared to less than USD 10 000 in others.
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- Students in OECD countries receive an average of 7 604 hours of compulsory instruction during primary and lower secondary education, with total hours ranging widely across education systems.
- Compulsory instruction time averages 804 hours per year for primary students and 909 hours for lower secondary students, a difference of about 105 hours annually.
- The ratio of children to teachers in pre-primary education has fallen across most OECD countries, decreasing from an average of 15 children per teacher in 2013 to 13 in 2023.
- Teachers’ statutory salaries increase with the level of education taught. On average, teachers with 15 years of experience earn USD 55 725 at pre-primary level and USD 63 925 at upper secondary level.
- Teachers’ actual salaries are 83–91% of the earnings of similarly educated tertiary-educated workers, while school heads usually earn more than tertiary-educated workers on average across OECD countries.
- The ratio of students to academic staff is lower in public than in private institutions, averaging about 14 students per staff member in public tertiary institutions compared to 18 in private ones.
- Nearly half of OECD and partner countries operate non-selective admission systems for first degrees, providing broad access to tertiary education, while entrance exams and centralised systems are also common.
- The salaries of academic staff in tertiary education vary by seniority. On average, junior staff earn about 62 000 USD, while senior staff earn about 108 000 USD.
| Education policies: Teachers | Education policies: Teachers | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) |
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Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version
Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities,
such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
for each publication.
All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026.
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Annex 3 of EAG 2024 for more details about the data collections.
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.
All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026.
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Annex 3 of EAG 2024 for more details about the data collections.
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.