Country makes great strides in strengthening school system

When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, about 80 percent of the population was illiterate and only 20 percent of school-age children were enrolled at primary schools.

In 2020, the net enrollment rate at primary schools was 99.95 percent, and the gross enrollment rate (GER) at preschool was 85.2 percent, with 102.5 percent for middle schools and 91.2 percent for high schools. The GER can be higher than 100 percent as it includes students who may be older or younger than the official age group.

In 1949, China's working-age population received 1.6 years of education on average, a figure that increased to 10.8 years in 2020.