Editing China (section)

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in China|Higher education in China}}
[[File:13 Peking University.jpg|alt=|thumb|Beijing's [[Peking University]], one of the [[Rankings of universities in China|top-ranked universities in China]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 September 2020 |title=Peking University |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/peking-university |access-date=9 December 2020 |website=Times Higher Education (THE)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Overall Ranking, Best Chinese Universities Rankings – 2019 |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/Chinese_Universities_Rankings/Overall-Ranking-2019.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330045254/http://www.shanghairanking.com/Chinese_Universities_Rankings/Overall-Ranking-2019.html |archive-date=30 March 2020 |access-date=9 December 2020 |website=shanghairanking.com}}</ref>]]
Compulsory education in China comprises [[primary school|primary]] and [[middle school|junior secondary school]], which together last for nine years from the age of 6 and 15.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 July 2009 |title=Compulsory Education Law of the People's Republic of China |url=http://en.moe.gov.cn/documents/laws_policies/201506/t20150626_191391.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319045258/https://en.moe.gov.cn/documents/laws_policies/201506/t20150626_191391.html |archive-date=19 March 2022 |access-date=3 November 2021 |website=[[Ministry of Education (China)|Ministry of Education]]}}</ref> The [[Gaokao]], China's national university entrance exam, is a prerequisite for entrance into most higher education institutions. Vocational education is available to students at the secondary and [[tertiary education|tertiary]] level.<ref name="Ministry of Edu China-2022">{{Cite web |date=3 April 2023 |title=Statistical report on China's educational achievements in 2022 |url=http://en.moe.gov.cn/documents/reports/202304/t20230403_1054100.html |access-date=17 December 2023 |website=[[Ministry of Education (China)|Ministry of Education]]}}</ref> More than 10 million Chinese students graduated from vocational colleges every year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 March 2021 |title=Zheng Yali: vocational education entering a new development stage |url=http://en.moe.gov.cn/features/2021TwoSessions/Voices/VocationalEducation/202103/t20210323_522096.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128011150/http://en.moe.gov.cn/features/2021TwoSessions/Voices/VocationalEducation/202103/t20210323_522096.html |archive-date=28 January 2023 |access-date=3 November 2021 |website=[[Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China]]}}</ref> In 2023, about 91.8 percent of students continued their education at a three-year senior secondary school, while 60.2 percent of secondary school graduates were enrolled in higher education.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date=4 March 2024 |title=MOE press conference presents China's educational achievements in 2023 |url=http://en.moe.gov.cn/news/press_releases/202403/t20240311_1119782.html |access-date=23 March 2024 |website=Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China}}</ref>

China has the largest education system in the world,<ref name="UNICEF-2021">{{Cite web |date=August 2021 |title=China Case Study: Situation Analysis of the Effect of and Response to COVID-19 in Asia |url=https://www.unicef.org/eap/media/9321/file/Sit%20An%20-%20China%20Case%20Study.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.unicef.org/eap/media/9321/file/Sit%20An%20-%20China%20Case%20Study.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=3 November 2021 |website=UNICEF |page=21}}</ref> with about 291 million students and 18.92 million full-time teachers in over 498,300 schools in 2023.<ref name="auto"/> Annual education investment went from less than US$50 billion in 2003 to more than US$817 billion in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 January 2013 |title=In Education, China Takes the Lead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/01/16/business/In-Education-China-Takes-the-Lead.html |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 May 2021 |title=MOE releases 2020 Statistical Bulletin on Educational Spending |url=http://en.moe.gov.cn/news/press_releases/202105/t20210512_531041.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321225632/http://en.moe.gov.cn/news/press_releases/202105/t20210512_531041.html |archive-date=21 March 2023 |access-date=3 November 2021 |website=[[Ministry of Education (China)|Ministry of Education]]}}</ref> However, there remains an inequality in education spending. In 2010, the annual education expenditure per secondary school student in Beijing totalled ¥20,023, while in [[Guizhou]], one of the [[List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP per capita|poorest provinces]], it only totalled ¥3,204.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Dexter |date=4 April 2013 |title=Chinese Education: The Truth Behind the Boasts |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-04-04/chinese-education-the-truth-behind-the-boasts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406202405/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-04/chinese-education-the-truth-behind-the-boasts |archive-date=6 April 2013 |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref> China's literacy rate has grown dramatically, from only 20% in 1949 and 65.5% in 1979,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Galtung |first1=Marte Kjær |title=49 Myths about China |last2=Stenslie |first2=Stig |date=2014 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-1-4422-3622-6 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qqqDBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA189 189]}}</ref> to 97% of the population over age 15 in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - China |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?end=2020&locations=CN&most_recent_value_desc=true&start=1982 |access-date=4 October 2022 |website=[[World Bank]]}}</ref>

{{As of|2023}}, China has over 3,074 universities, with over 47.6 million students enrolled in mainland China, giving China the largest higher education system in the world.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Zou |first=Shuo |date=3 December 2020 |title=China's higher education system is world's largest, officials say |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202012/03/WS5fc86ab2a31024ad0ba9999e.html |access-date=3 November 2021 |work=[[China Daily]]}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, China had the world's highest [[Rankings of universities in China|number of top universities]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=15 August 2023 |title=ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023 Press Release |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/news/arwu/2023 |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=ShanghaiRanking}}</ref><ref name=":112">{{Cite web |date=25 October 2022 |title=U.S. News Unveils 2022–2023 Best Global Universities Rankings |url=https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2022-10-25/u-s-news-unveils-2022-2023-best-global-universities-rankings |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> Currently, China trails only the United States and the United Kingdom in terms of representation on lists of the top 200 universities according to the 2023 ''Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities'', a composite ranking system of three world-most followed university rankings ([[Academic Ranking of World Universities|ARWU]]+[[QS World University Rankings|QS]]+[[Times Higher Education World University Rankings|THE]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Country Analysis {{!}} Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities 2023 |url=https://research.unsw.edu.au/artu/indicator |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=UNSW Research}}</ref> China is home to two of the highest-ranking universities ([[Tsinghua University]] and [[Peking University]]) in [[Asia]] and [[Emerging market|emerging economies]], according to the [[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-04 |title=World University Rankings |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/latest/world-ranking |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en}}</ref> and the [[Academic Ranking of World Universities]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities |url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2024 |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=www.shanghairanking.com}}</ref> These universities are members of the [[C9 League]], an alliance of elite [[List of universities in China|Chinese universities]] offering comprehensive and leading education.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 February 2011 |title=Eastern stars: Universities of China's C9 League excel in select fields |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/eastern-stars-universities-of-chinas-c9-league-excel-in-select-fields/415193.article |access-date=16 May 2023 |website=[[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]]}}</ref>