China: Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure)

Key figures

Since 1981 it is up 11.91 percentage points from 0% in 1981. The World Bank has no value for 27 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.56 percentage points in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.92 percentage points in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, China had the 13th highest value of the 17 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to China in the 2023 ranking

• San Marino — 9th of 17: 12.99%
• Niger — 10th of 17: 12.81%
• New Zealand — 11th of 17: 12.73%
• Albania — 13th of 17: 10.86%
• Central African Republic — 14th of 17: 9.99%
• Pakistan — 15th of 17: 9.76%

What this measures

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data on government expenditure on education may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries). In addition, definitions and methods of data on total general government expenditure may differ across countries.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 16 values

Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) in nearby economies

• Australia — 12.64% (2022)
• Brunei Darussalam — 11.44% (2016)
• Cambodia — 11.55% (2025)
• Fiji — 13.79% (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 15.74% (2024)
• Indonesia — 10.56% (2025)
• Kiribati — 20.12% (2024)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 14.63% (2025)

More education data for China

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 97.98 million (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 7.41 million (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 76.88% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 6.74 million (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 108.57 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 99.65% (2024)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is China's government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure)?

11.91% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is up 11.91 percentage points from 0% in 1981. The highest value was 20.06% in 1994 and the lowest 0% in 1981.

How does China rank?

13th highest of 17 economies with data for 2023.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GB.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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