Education in Shandong, China: official figures
Shandong had 8,147 regular primary schools in 2024, out of 136,332 in mainland China.
How many primary school pupils are there in Shandong?
Shandong had 75,350 pupils enrolled in primary school in 2024 (6th 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 Shandong?
Primary schools in Shandong employed 476,384 full-time teachers in 2024.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyWhat is the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools in Shandong?
In Shandong there were 0.2 primary pupils for every full-time primary teacher in 2024 (14th 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 Shandong?
The average primary school in Shandong had 9 pupils in 2024, against 10 nationally.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyHow many primary pupils in Shandong go to rural schools?
5252.0% of primary pupils in Shandong attended township or rural schools in 2024, against 4118.8% nationally; the rest were in city schools (8th 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 Shandong?
3.33% of people aged 15 and over in Shandong could not read or write in 2024 (10th highest 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 Shandong?
In Shandong the illiteracy rate in 2024 was 1.34% for men and 5.32% for women aged 15 and over (nationally 1.40% and 4.83%).
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China · saved copyHow Shandong compares with other provinces
Primary pupils per full-time teacher (2024)
Shandong ranks 18 of 31, highest first. Primary school enrolment divided by full-time teachers.
| Rank | Region | Primary pupils per full-time teacher |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Hunan | 0.2 |
| 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 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (2024)
Shandong ranks 10 of 31, highest first. Sample survey estimate.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Sichuan | 5.16% |
| 8 | Anhui | 5.14% |
| 9 | Zhejiang | 4.24% |
| 10 | Shandong | 3.33% |
| 11 | Inner Mongolia | 3.12% |
| 12 | Shaanxi | 3.02% |
| 13 | Hainan | 3.01% |
Share of primary pupils in township or rural schools (2024)
Shandong ranks 8 of 31, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of primary pupils in township or rural schools |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Sichuan | 5496.4% |
| 6 | Hunan | 5436.8% |
| 7 | Fujian | 5379.0% |
| 8 | Shandong | 5252.0% |
| 9 | Hubei | 5235.7% |
| 10 | Anhui | 5062.4% |
| 11 | Jiangxi | 4787.1% |
More on Shandong: 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…)
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