Statizoid

Primary education, duration in China

China: Primary education, duration was 6 years in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
25th
of 210 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 2004
All-time low
5 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025

Primary education, duration in China, 1970–2025

0246197019972025

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2025, primary education, duration in China stood at 6 years. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, duration in China peaked at 6 years in 2004 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1970.

That places China 25th out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5 years 5 years 5 years 10
1980s 5 years 5 years 5 years 10
1990s 5 years 5 years 5 years 10
2000s 5.6 years 5 years 6 years 10
2010s 6 years 6 years 6 years 10
2020s 6 years 6 years 6 years 6

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See the full ranking of 256 places →

More education data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, duration in China?
Primary education, duration in China was 6 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 6 years in 2004.
What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
How does China rank for primary education, duration?
China ranks 25th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
Is primary education, duration rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Primary education, duration (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
256 places, 14,114 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.