Bangladesh vs China
Bangladesh vs China: Girls in primary school
Girls in primary school: 93.7% in Bangladesh in 2008 and 88.4% in China in 1997, by Our World in Data estimates. In 1989 the value was higher in China, by 27.6 percentage points, or 1.43 times that in Bangladesh.
% of girls of primary-school age · Our World in Data
What the numbers say
- China has been higher since 1945, when it overtook Bangladesh.
- The world as a whole: 77.6% in 1989.
Every year
% of girls of primary-school age · Our World in Data
| Year | Bangladesh | China | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | – | – | 88.2 |
| 2017 | – | – | 88.2 |
| 2016 | – | – | 88.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 88.2 |
| 2014 | – | – | 88.3 |
| 2013 | – | – | 88.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 88.2 |
| 2011 | – | – | 88.1 |
| 2010 | – | – | 87.9 |
| 2009 | – | – | 87.9 |
| 2008 | 93.7 | – | 87.6 |
| 2007 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2006 | – | – | 86 |
| 2005 | – | – | 85.4 |
| 2004 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2003 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81 |
| 2000 | – | – | 80.7 |
| 1999 | – | – | 79.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 78.9 |
| 1997 | – | 88.4 | 78.1 |
| 1996 | – | 88.7 | 77.9 |
| 1995 | – | 89.6 | 78 |
| 1994 | – | 90.9 | 78.3 |
| 1993 | – | 92.2 | 78 |
| 1992 | – | 93.2 | 77.7 |
| 1991 | – | 93.8 | 77.8 |
| 1990 | 69 | – | 77.3 |
| 1989 | 64.8 | 92.4 | 77.6 |
| 1988 | 64.6 | – | 76.6 |
| 1987 | 50.2 | 88.9 | 75.8 |
| 1986 | 51 | – | 75.3 |
| 1985 | 51.5 | – | 74 |
| 1980 | 43.7 | 82.2 | 75.8 |
| 1975 | 46 | 79.8 | 72.9 |
| 1970 | 32 | 71 | 69 |
| 1965 | 29.2 | 71 | 66 |
| 1960 | 24.5 | 71 | 63.1 |
| 1955 | 20.7 | 53.1 | 57.4 |
| 1950 | 16.9 | 35.1 | 51.4 |
| 1945 | 13.3 | 17.1 | 43.5 |
| 1940 | 10.3 | 9.4 | 40 |
| 1935 | 8 | 8.4 | 38.2 |
| 1930 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 36.4 |
| 1925 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 33 |
| 1920 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 30.5 |
| 1915 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 29.2 |
| 1910 | 2 | 1.1 | 28.1 |
| 1905 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 25.1 |
| 1900 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 23.3 |
| 1895 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 21.8 |
| 1890 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 20 |
| 1885 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 19 |
| 1880 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 17.2 |
| 1875 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 15.7 |
| 1870 | 0.2 | 0 | 13.2 |
| 1865 | 0.2 | 0 | 10.6 |
| 1860 | 0.1 | 0 | 9.3 |
| 1855 | 0.1 | 0 | 8 |
| 1850 | 0.1 | 0 | 6.8 |
| 1845 | 0.1 | 0 | 5.9 |
| 1840 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 |
| 1835 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 |
| 1830 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1825 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 1820 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of girls of primary-school age who are enrolled in school.
- Source: Our World in Data, joining historical estimates to the World Bank’s.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Bangladesh vs China
Health
- Life expectancyBangladesh: 74.7 years in 2023China: 78 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBangladesh: 3.1 per 100 live births in 2024China: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBangladesh: 22.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023China: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBangladesh: 4.11% in 2017China: 3.31% in 2017
- Suicide rateBangladesh: 6 per 100,000 people in 2017China: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBangladesh: 172 million people in 2023China: 1.42 billion people in 2023
- Population growthBangladesh: 1.21% a year in 2023China: -0.24% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBangladesh: 2.16 births per woman in 2023China: 1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBangladesh: 33.2% in 2025China: 66.3% in 2025
- Median ageBangladesh: 25.3 years in 2023China: 39.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBangladesh: 6.3% in 2023China: 14.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateBangladesh: -3.2 per 1,000 people in 2023China: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBangladesh: 0.81% of GDP in 2025China: 1.73% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBangladesh: $3.67B in 2025China: $335B in 2025
- Military spending per personBangladesh: $22 in 2025China: $237 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBangladesh: 7.1% of government spending in 2025China: 5.1% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBangladesh: 227,000 people in 2020China: 2.54 million people in 2020
- National powerBangladesh: 1.01% of world capability in 2022China: 23.41% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBangladesh: 0.32% of the labour force in 2020China: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBangladesh: 32 million TIV in 2025China: 207 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsBangladesh: 2 million TIV in 1984China: 880 million TIV in 2025