Education in Guangdong, China: official figures
Guangdong had 10,539 regular primary schools in 2024, out of 136,332 in mainland China.
How many primary school pupils are there in Guangdong?
Guangdong had 94,117 pupils enrolled in primary school in 2024 (5th highest of 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions; 1,339,305 nationally).
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyHow many primary school teachers are there in Guangdong?
Primary schools in Guangdong employed 614,829 full-time teachers in 2024.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyWhat is the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools in Guangdong?
In Guangdong there were 0.2 primary pupils for every full-time primary teacher in 2024 (13th lowest of 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions; national figure 0.2). This is enrolment divided by full-time teachers.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyHow big are primary schools in Guangdong?
The average primary school in Guangdong had 9 pupils in 2024, against 10 nationally.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyHow many primary pupils in Guangdong go to rural schools?
4296.5% of primary pupils in Guangdong attended township or rural schools in 2024, against 4118.8% nationally; the rest were in city schools (13th highest of 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions for rural share).
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyWhat is the illiteracy rate in Guangdong?
1.90% of people aged 15 and over in Guangdong could not read or write in 2024 (11th lowest of 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions; national figure 3.09%). The yearbook takes this from the 2024 national sample survey on population changes, a 1.028 per thousand sample, so small regions carry more sampling error.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyWhat is the female illiteracy rate in Guangdong?
In Guangdong the illiteracy rate in 2024 was 0.67% for men and 3.25% for women aged 15 and over (nationally 1.40% and 4.83%).
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyHow Guangdong compares with other provinces
Primary pupils per full-time teacher (2024)
Guangdong ranks 19 of 31, highest first. Primary school enrolment divided by full-time teachers.
| Rank | Region | Primary pupils per full-time teacher |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Shanxi | 0.2 |
| 17 | Fujian | 0.2 |
| 18 | Shandong | 0.2 |
| 19 | Guangdong | 0.2 |
| 20 | Inner Mongolia | 0.2 |
| 21 | Sichuan | 0.2 |
| 22 | Hubei | 0.1 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (2024)
Guangdong ranks 21 of 31, highest first. Sample survey estimate.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Guangxi | 2.37% |
| 19 | Fujian | 2.30% |
| 20 | Jiangsu | 2.04% |
| 21 | Guangdong | 1.90% |
| 22 | Hunan | 1.88% |
| 23 | Chongqing | 1.73% |
| 24 | Heilongjiang | 1.70% |
Share of primary pupils in township or rural schools (2024)
Guangdong ranks 13 of 31, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of primary pupils in township or rural schools |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Anhui | 5062.4% |
| 11 | Jiangxi | 4787.1% |
| 12 | Guizhou | 4646.2% |
| 13 | Guangdong | 4296.5% |
| 14 | Chongqing | 4227.2% |
| 15 | Inner Mongolia | 4162.1% |
| 16 | Shanxi | 3810.8% |
More on Guangdong: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · China
Sources
- National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Statistical Yearbook 2025, Table 2-14 Illiterate Population Aged 15 and Over by Gender and Region (2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 90b33b452d5a…)
- National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Statistical Yearbook 2025, Table 21-19 Statistics on Primary Schools by Region (2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fd3519674d5d…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.