China vs India: Secondary education, pupils

China

97.98 million

in 2024

India

133.16 million

in 2025

China rank

2nd

India rank

1st

Secondary education, pupils over time

India currently reports 133.16 million against 97.98 million in China, a difference of 35.17 million.

That makes India's figure about 1.4 times China's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1971 it was China ahead.

Globally, China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 206 countries.

Indicator: Secondary education, pupils
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 251 places, 10,025 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.