China: Repeaters, primary, male (% of male enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, China's repeaters, primary, male (% of male enrollment) fell 0.01 percentage points on 2017 (from 0.01% to 0.00905%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2017), the average change was −0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.17 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 rise was 0.04 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.59 percentage points in 1997. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.04 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 93% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2018, China had the 71st highest value of the 75 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 2018 ranking

• Belarus — 68th of 75: 0.04%
• Kyrgyz Republic — 69th of 75: 0.02%
• Mauritius — 70th of 75: 0.01%
• Uzbekistan — 72nd of 75: 0.00117%
• Cayman Islands — 73rd of 75: 0%
• Moldova — 74th of 75: 0%

What this measures

Repeaters in primary school are the number of students enrolled in the same grade as in the previous year, as a percentage of all students enrolled in primary school.

Limitations: Country policies on repetition and promotion differ. In some cases the number of repeaters is controlled because of limited capacity. In other cases the number of repeaters is almost 0 because of automatic promotion – suggesting a system that is highly efficient but that may not be endowing students with enough cognitive skills.

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

All 15 values

Repeaters, primary, male (% of male enrollment) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 0.11% (2018)
• Cambodia — 7.69% (2018)
• Fiji — 0.36% (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 0.43% (2018)
• Indonesia — 1.65% (2018)
• Kiribati — 2.06% (2016)
• Korea, Rep. — 0.00412% (2017)
• Lao PDR — 4.88% (2018)
• Macao SAR, China — 2.08% (2018)
• Mongolia

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 repeaters, primary, male (% of male enrollment)?

0.00905% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

It is down 2.38 percentage points from 2.38% in 1996. The highest value was 2.38% in 1996 and the lowest 0.00905% in 2018.

How does China rank?

71st highest of 75 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in repeaters, primary, male (% of male enrollment) unusual for China?

In 2018, China's repeaters, primary, male (% of male enrollment) fell 0.01 percentage points on 2017 (from 0.01% to 0.00905%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2017), the average change was −0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.17 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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.PRM.REPT.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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