China: Preprimary education, duration (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, China's preprimary education, duration (years) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 3 to 3).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was −0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.19 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 1 in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2025, China had the 103rd highest value of the 201 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 2025 ranking

• Cabo Verde — 112th of 201: 3
• Central African Republic — 113th of 201: 3
• Chad — 114th of 201: 3
• Comoros — 116th of 201: 3
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 117th of 201: 3
• Congo, Rep. — 118th of 201: 3

What this measures

Preprimary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in preprimary school.

Limitations: The presence of national legislation does not guarantee that countries will implement it effectively, nor does it ensure that parents will take advantage of the provisions available for their children.

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

All 29 values

Preprimary education, duration (years) in nearby economies

• Australia — 5 (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 3 (2025)
• Cambodia — 6 (2025)
• Fiji — 3 (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 3 (2025)
• Indonesia — 7 (2025)
• Japan — 3 (2025)
• Kiribati — 3 (2025)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 4 (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 6 (2025)
• Lao PDR

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 preprimary education, duration (years)?

3 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is down 25% from 4 in 1997 (1.02% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 4 in 1997 and the lowest 3 in 1998.

How does China rank?

103rd highest of 201 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in preprimary education, duration (years) unusual for China?

In 2025, China's preprimary education, duration (years) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 3 to 3). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was −0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.19 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRE.DURS, 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.