China: Persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort)

Key figures

Since 1988 it is up 19.76 percentage points from 80.02% in 1988. The World Bank has no value for 22 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2020, China's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) fell 0.11 percentage points on 2019 (from 99.9% to 99.79%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2019), the average change was +1.69 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.45 percentage points in 1990 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.11 percentage points in 2020. 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to China in the 2020 ranking

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 1st of 9: 99.84%
• Tunisia — 3rd of 9: 98.57%
• Andorra — 4th of 9: 98.49%
• Liechtenstein — 5th of 9: 96.27%

What this measures

Persistence to grade 5 (percentage of cohort reaching grade 5) is the share of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach grade 5. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.

Limitations: The estimates have limitations in capturing real trend in that an observed rate will be applied to the underlying indicators such as repetition rate and promotion rate throughout the cohort life, and re-entrants, grade skipping, migration or transfers during a school year are not adequately captured.

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

All 11 values

Persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 99.17% (2019)
• Cambodia — 84.07% (2019)
• Fiji — 94.83% (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 97.59% (2023)
• Indonesia — 99.51% (2017)
• Kiribati — 89.75% (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 98.9% (2023)
• Lao PDR — 82.05% (2019)
• Macao SAR, China — 99.55% (2023)
• Malaysia — 88.48% (2023)

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

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Questions people ask

What is China's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort)?

99.79% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1988?

It is up 19.76 percentage points from 80.02% in 1988. The highest value was 99.9% in 2019 and the lowest 80.02% in 1988.

Is the latest change in persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) unusual for China?

In 2020, China's persistence to grade 5, total (% of cohort) fell 0.11 percentage points on 2019 (from 99.9% to 99.79%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2019), the average change was +1.69 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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.PRM.PRS5.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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