Before determining whether “education is losing its value,” let’s first look at the national educational structure: only 15467 people per 100000 have a college education or higher.

3. Before determining whether “education is losing its value,” let’s first look at the national educational structure: only 15467 people per 100000 have a college education or higher.

Cost: Zero. All you need to do is glance at the numbers below.

In plain terms: According to the 2020 census, only 15467 people per 100000 nationwide have completed college or higher education — that’s roughly 15%. Meanwhile, 34507 people per 100000 have only a junior high school education, making this the most common level of education. On average, people aged 15 and older have attended school for just 9.91 years, barely enough to finish junior high. Therefore, a junior high school education in China is far from “sufficient” — it is simply the baseline level for most people.

Benefit: The reference point for the seventh national census was November 1, 2020. At that time, 218360767 people nationwide had a college education or higher, while 213005258 had a high school education (including vocational school). The number of people with a junior high school education was 487163489, and those with a primary school education totaled 349658828. Compared to the sixth national census in 2010, the number of people per 100000 with a college education rose from 8930 to 15467, while those with a high school education increased from 14032 to 15088. Conversely, the number of people with a junior high school education fell from 38788 to 34507, and those with a primary school education dropped from 26779 to 24767. The average years of schooling for people aged 15 and older rose from 9.08 to 9.91 years, and the illiteracy rate declined from 4.08% to 2.67%.

Evidence grade: A

Sources: National Bureau of Statistics of China, State Council of China's Seventh National Census Leading Group Office (2021). Seventh National Census Bulletin (No. 6) - Population education. <https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/tjgb/rkpcgb/qgrkpcgb/202302/t20230206_1902006.html>

Notes: These figures only indicate how common or rare a given level of education is within the general population. Whether it makes financial sense for any individual to pursue further education should be calculated using the method outlined in Section 6 of this chapter (“How to weigh the costs and benefits of education vs. working”). Also, note that census data includes all residents nationwide, including children and the elderly. The proportion of young people with a college education is significantly higher than these averages, so comparing one’s own educational level to these figures may overestimate one’s competitive advantage. Conversely, these numbers do provide solid evidence to refute the claim that “education is useless,” since they represent the entire labor force competing for jobs. The ultimate beneficiaries of this education are the individuals themselves.