China — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for China, 1971–2023.
Education spending for China was 3.90% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 26 years, from 1971 to 2023. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 1.39% in 1971 (about 2.8× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.01% per year.
China ranks 100 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 58%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 4.25%, so China sits below it. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 15 of 25 economies; Hong Kong SAR, China (3.81%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 108% in 2023.
Data highlights
From its 1971 level: doubled by 2023. Doubling roughly every 35 years at that pace.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.9% | +2.0 pp |
| 1999 | 1.87% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 1.83% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 1.84% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 1.83% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 1.98% | +0.3 pp |
| 1993 | 1.65% | +0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 1.65% | -0.1 pp |
| 1988 | 1.76% | -0.0 pp |
| 1987 | 1.8% | -0.3 pp |
| 1986 | 2.06% | +0.1 pp |
| 1985 | 2% | +0.0 pp |
| 1984 | 1.99% | -0.1 pp |
| 1983 | 2.07% | +0.0 pp |
| 1982 | 2.03% | +0.1 pp |
| 1981 | 1.95% | +0.0 pp |
| 1980 | 1.91% | -0.2 pp |
| 1979 | 2.14% | +0.2 pp |
| 1978 | 1.96% | +0.2 pp |
| 1977 | 1.75% | -0.1 pp |
| 1976 | 1.81% | +0.1 pp |
| 1975 | 1.71% | -0.1 pp |
| 1974 | 1.76% | +0.1 pp |
| 1973 | 1.65% | +0.0 pp |
| 1972 | 1.6% | +0.2 pp |
| 1971 | 1.39% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was China’s Education spending in 1972?
1.6% (1972). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is China’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +181.1% in total — about 2.0% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 3.9%; 1999: 1.87%; 1998: 1.83%; 1996: 1.84%; 1995: 1.83%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.