China Mike’s 100% verified, no B.S. China facts (interesting & fun statistics):
China’s literacy rate: (age 15+ who can read and write)
total population: 91.6%
male: 95.7%
female: 87.6%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2009)
Education expenditures:
1.9% of GDP
Global rank: #172
[ Source: CIA World Factbook, accessed 2011 ]
Literacy rate defined as knowledge of 1, 500 Chinese characters in rural locations and 2, 000 characters in urban areas.
[ “China: Asia in Focus”, R. LaFleur 2010]
Before the Communist party took power in 1949, about 80% of China’s population was illiterate. Enrollment rate was below 20% for elementary school and about 6% of junior secondary school.
[China.org.cn “60 Years of Educational Reform and Development” Sept. 14, 2009 ]
By 2008, adult illiteracy rate in China dropped to only 3.58%. Elementary school and junior secondary school enrollment jumped to 99.5% and 98.5% respectively.
[China.org.cn “60 Years of Educational Reform and Development” Sept. 14, 2009 ]
