- Cost: No financial cost to read these figures; the source treats this as a short background check.
- In plain terms: The statistics describe education levels across a population. They do not establish whether junior-secondary education is sufficient for a particular job, or whether further study will pay off for an individual.
- Benefit: China's 2020 census classified 15,467 per 100,000 people as having college-level education or above, including junior college. This category includes graduates, people who left school and current students; it must not be translated as people holding a bachelor's degree.
| Education category | 2020 census: people | 2010 → 2020: per 100,000 | 2025 survey estimate: people |
|---|---|---|---|
| College level or above, including junior college | 218,360,767 | 8,930 → 15,467 | 272,330,000 |
| Senior secondary, including secondary vocational | 213,005,258 | 14,032 → 15,088 | 242,720,000 |
| Junior secondary | 487,163,489 | 38,788 → 34,507 | 452,830,000 |
| Primary | 349,658,828 | 26,779 → 24,767 | 331,220,000 |
For people aged 15 or older, the 2020 mean schooling measure was 9.91 years, up from 9.08. It is calculated from education categories, not a measurement of every person's actual years in class. The published illiteracy rate changed from 4.08% to 2.67%. Its numerator is people aged 15 or older who cannot read; its denominator is the defined total population, not just people aged 15 or older.
The 2025 survey reference time is midnight at the start of 1 November 2025, using a sample of 20.52 million (1.46% of the population). Its estimated total was 1,405,450,000. The bulletin reports a 0.72% net undercount and says the total includes the population adjustment calculated from it. Calculating from the rounded published counts gives about 19.4% college-level or above and 32.2% junior secondary; these percentages are our calculations, not figures quoted directly in the bulletin. The 2025 Jianping County Statistics Bureau explanation distinguishes ordinary higher education from adult-education routes. Ordinary-college students, graduates, completers and leavers report their studied junior-college or undergraduate level. Adult-college and correspondence students or leavers report their previous education level; self-study examinations require the corresponding graduation certificate. College-level population therefore cannot be labelled all college graduates. Complete cross-year statistical comparability remains unverified.
- Evidence grade: A in the source; publication review remains pending.
- Sources:
- https://www.lnjp.gov.cn/html/JPXZF/202511/0176394502350548.html (Jianping County Statistics Bureau, 2025 indicator explanation) National Bureau of Statistics, 2021 census bulletin and 2026 survey bulletin.
- https://www.stats.gov.cn/xxgk/sjfb/zxfb2020/202105/t20210511_1817201.html (official bulletin No. 6 read in this review)
- https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/202302/t20230206_1902006.html
- https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202605/t20260522_1963788.html (source URL; access failed)
- https://www.stats.gov.cn/xxgk/sjfb/zxfb2020/202605/t20260522_1963788.html (official accessible version)
- Notes: Both bulletins cover mainland China's 31 provincial-level regions and active servicemembers, with the specified exclusions for Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan residents and foreign nationals living there. This total includes children and older people; it is not the labour-force denominator. It cannot by itself describe competitors in a particular occupation or age group, quantify qualification scarcity in that market, or prove education's financial return. The source's separate study-versus-work calculation remains to be checked. Keep census enumeration and survey estimates clearly dated rather than silently substituting one for the other. Some 2025 reporting definitions are supported by the county statistics bureau explanation; complete comparability between the two statistics still requires verification.