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Literacy in China
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Literacy in China
The People's Republic of China's adult literacy rate, defined as literacy in those aged 15 and above, was measured at 97% in 2020 by the World Bank. Youth literacy, defined as literacy in those aged 15–24, was 100% since 2010 and remained so in 2020.
The relatively high memory load involved in learning Chinese characters required for basic literacy in Chinese has been noted. There are about 6,500 characters in regular use in modern Chinese, of which 3,500 characters are used to write 99% of the words (the majority of which are two-character combinations) in popular reading material.
The average Chinese college student is estimated to know about 5,150 characters, which they may use to write more than 30,000 words. Enrollment in undergraduate education in China among youth has been expanding rapidly in recent years, reaching 40% in 2019 and, according to the Chinese Ministry of Education, reaching 60% in 2023.
From 1994 onwards, the PRC began a campaign to eradicate illiteracy, and the State Council issued the "Outline on the Reform and Development of Education", which set the goal of reducing illiteracy to below 5% before the 21st century. This target was achieved.
When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, more than 400 million of the country's more than 500 million people were illiterate, and the illiteracy rate was about 80 percent, including over 95 percent in rural areas.[unreliable source?] In 1964, the results of the second national census showed that the country's total population was 723 million, and the literacy campaign reduced the illiteracy rate (the proportion of illiterate people aged 15 and over) in China to 52%, and about 100 million people became literate.[unreliable source?] During the Cultural Revolution, the college entrance examination system was suspended, and millions of young people went to the countryside for a month out of each year as part of secondary school.[citation needed]
In 1977, the college entrance examination was resumed during the "rectification of troubles" period. By the end of 1978, China's population was close to one billion, and the illiteracy rate reached 25 percent, with nearly 240 million illiterates and 30–40 percent of young and middle-aged people being illiterate.[citation needed] After the reform and opening, compulsory education and literacy education were included in the newly revised Constitution of the People's Republic of China (82 Constitution) in 1982. In 1986, the Compulsory Education Law of the People's Republic of China came into effect, and since then, the nine-year compulsory education has been implemented in mainland China.[citation needed]
In 2001, the State Council virtually eliminated illiteracy among young and middle-aged people. In the sixth national census in 2010, the total population of mainland China was about 1.34 billion, of which about 54 million were illiterate, with an illiteracy rate of 4.08 percent. According to UNESCO, by 2015, China's illiteracy rate had dropped to 3.6 percent, and by 2020, it reached 3%. Amongst those aged between 15 and 24, it was completely eradicated – China's young adult population is 100% literate.
During the period of the mainland Republic of China, the popularization of education was only implemented briefly due to the influence of the education system and the turbulent social situation.
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Literacy in China
The People's Republic of China's adult literacy rate, defined as literacy in those aged 15 and above, was measured at 97% in 2020 by the World Bank. Youth literacy, defined as literacy in those aged 15–24, was 100% since 2010 and remained so in 2020.
The relatively high memory load involved in learning Chinese characters required for basic literacy in Chinese has been noted. There are about 6,500 characters in regular use in modern Chinese, of which 3,500 characters are used to write 99% of the words (the majority of which are two-character combinations) in popular reading material.
The average Chinese college student is estimated to know about 5,150 characters, which they may use to write more than 30,000 words. Enrollment in undergraduate education in China among youth has been expanding rapidly in recent years, reaching 40% in 2019 and, according to the Chinese Ministry of Education, reaching 60% in 2023.
From 1994 onwards, the PRC began a campaign to eradicate illiteracy, and the State Council issued the "Outline on the Reform and Development of Education", which set the goal of reducing illiteracy to below 5% before the 21st century. This target was achieved.
When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, more than 400 million of the country's more than 500 million people were illiterate, and the illiteracy rate was about 80 percent, including over 95 percent in rural areas.[unreliable source?] In 1964, the results of the second national census showed that the country's total population was 723 million, and the literacy campaign reduced the illiteracy rate (the proportion of illiterate people aged 15 and over) in China to 52%, and about 100 million people became literate.[unreliable source?] During the Cultural Revolution, the college entrance examination system was suspended, and millions of young people went to the countryside for a month out of each year as part of secondary school.[citation needed]
In 1977, the college entrance examination was resumed during the "rectification of troubles" period. By the end of 1978, China's population was close to one billion, and the illiteracy rate reached 25 percent, with nearly 240 million illiterates and 30–40 percent of young and middle-aged people being illiterate.[citation needed] After the reform and opening, compulsory education and literacy education were included in the newly revised Constitution of the People's Republic of China (82 Constitution) in 1982. In 1986, the Compulsory Education Law of the People's Republic of China came into effect, and since then, the nine-year compulsory education has been implemented in mainland China.[citation needed]
In 2001, the State Council virtually eliminated illiteracy among young and middle-aged people. In the sixth national census in 2010, the total population of mainland China was about 1.34 billion, of which about 54 million were illiterate, with an illiteracy rate of 4.08 percent. According to UNESCO, by 2015, China's illiteracy rate had dropped to 3.6 percent, and by 2020, it reached 3%. Amongst those aged between 15 and 24, it was completely eradicated – China's young adult population is 100% literate.
During the period of the mainland Republic of China, the popularization of education was only implemented briefly due to the influence of the education system and the turbulent social situation.