This page compares the education systems of China and Indonesia.
Education System Overview
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public/private mix; governance is centralized at the national policy level, with provincial and local education authorities responsible for implementation and administration. | Mixed public/private system with decentralized school delivery. National ministries establish curriculum, standards and policy, while provincial and district governments manage much of public-school provision. Religious and private providers operate alongside the state sector. |
| Governing Body | Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (MOE), together with provincial and local education authorities. [China MOE] | Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) for general school education; Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) for the madrasah system; and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) for higher education. |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | National fiscal expenditure on education was 4.02% of GDP in 2024. [China MOE] | 1.3% of GDP in 2023, the latest value in the World Bank/UNESCO UIS series. [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | Children normally begin compulsory education at age 6; local authorities may permit enrollment at age 7 where conditions require it. The nine-year compulsory cycle normally continues to about age 15. [China MOE] | The established statutory basic-education requirement covers approximately ages 7–15. National policy is expanding access toward 13 years of education, including one preschool year and education through senior secondary level. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 9 years of compulsory education, generally six years of primary school followed by three years of junior secondary school. [China MOE] | 9 years under the established statutory basic-education requirement. The government's 13-year education policy extends the policy target to one year of preschool, six years of primary, three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional before compulsory schooling; the national gross pre-primary enrollment rate reached 92.9% in 2025. [China MOE] | ECE remains outside the established nine-year statutory requirement, while the 13-year policy prioritizes one preschool year before primary school. Gross PAUD participation was approximately 36.2% in 2025; this indicator covers the broader PAUD population rather than only children aged 3–5. |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | 6 + 3 + 3: six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary education and three years of senior secondary education. | 6 + 3 + 3: six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary education and three years of general or vocational senior secondary education. Some vocational programs operate for four years. |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | Approximately 26.9% vocational / 73.1% general in 2025, based on 11.19 million secondary vocational students and 30.40 million regular senior-secondary students. [China MOE] | Approximately 33.5% vocational / 66.5% general, based on 2024/25 upper-secondary enrollment across vocational and general/religious pathways. |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | September | July, with exact dates set through provincial and local education calendars. |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | July | June, with regional variation. |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | Compulsory education typically includes 35 teaching weeks plus two weeks available for school-arranged activities; regular senior-secondary programs generally provide about 40 teaching weeks plus a social-practice week. | Approximately 36 effective instructional weeks; the exact requirement varies by school level, regional calendar and program. |
| Instruction Days per Year | — | — |
Grading System
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | No single national grading scale applies to all school assessments. Numerical scores, achievement levels and letter-based systems are used according to examination, province and school level. | No single mandatory national A–F or fixed numerical passing scale. Schools use learning-achievement criteria, including KKTP, with numerical results, descriptors, rubrics and competency evidence used according to school and subject assessment arrangements. |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | Institution-specific; universities commonly use percentage scores and GPA or letter-grade conversions, but there is no single national GPA scale. | Institution-specific. A 4.00 GPA scale with letter grades is widely used; individual universities determine grade boundaries and intermediate grades. |
Language of Instruction
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | Standard Chinese (Putonghua/Mandarin) is the principal language of instruction in most schools. | Bahasa Indonesia is the principal national language of instruction. Regional languages may support instruction in early education where appropriate. |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | Minority languages are used alongside or instead of Standard Chinese in some ethnic autonomous areas and bilingual education programs. English is widely taught as a foreign-language subject. | Regional and local languages may be used as supporting instructional languages. English is primarily taught as a foreign language and is scheduled to become a compulsory primary-school subject from the 2027/28 academic year. [Kemendikdasmen] |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Based on official 2024 enrollment totals, approximately 93.1% of compulsory-education students and 79.9% of regular senior-secondary students were outside the non-government school sector. [China MOE] [China MOE] | Approximately 66.5% across primary through senior-secondary education in 2024/25, based on official enrollment totals by school status. Public-school shares differ considerably by education level. |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 tuition and miscellaneous fees during the nine-year compulsory education period. [China MOE] | $0 tuition for compulsory basic education in government schools. Families may still face permitted ancillary costs or locally administered charges outside standard tuition. |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes; the state guarantees compulsory education for school-age children and adolescents nationwide. [China MOE] | Yes. Public primary and secondary schools operate across Indonesia's provinces and districts, complemented by the public religious-school network. |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | In 2024, non-government schools enrolled approximately 6.9% of compulsory-education students and 20.1% of regular senior-secondary students. [China MOE] | Approximately 33.5% across primary through senior-secondary education in 2024/25, based on official student totals by school status. |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | — | Nationwide, with substantial private, foundation and religious-school provision in densely populated and urban areas. |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | — | — |
| Number of IB World Schools | 322 IB World Schools currently offer at least one IB programme in China. [IB] | 81 IB World Schools currently offer at least one IB programme in Indonesia. [IB] |
| Main International Programmes Offered | International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International/A Levels and Advanced Placement (AP), depending on the school. | International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International, British, American, Australian, Singaporean and other school-specific international or bilingual curricula. |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | A recognized teacher qualification is required. Statutory minimum academic requirements vary by level: primary teachers require secondary normal-school education or above; junior-secondary teachers require higher normal-college or other two- to three-year college education or above; senior-secondary teachers require a four-year normal-college or university education or above. [China MOE] | A minimum academic qualification of S-1 bachelor's degree or D-IV applied bachelor's level is the national professional benchmark, alongside teacher-certification requirements for eligible professional teachers. |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | Approximately 38.7 students per class in 2025, based on 101.78 million primary students and 2.63 million classes. [China MOE] | Approximately 21 students per class group in the latest nationally published comparable primary dataset. |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | Approximately 46.4 students per class in 2025, based on 55.09 million junior-secondary students and 1.19 million classes. [China MOE] | Approximately 28 students per class group in the latest nationally published junior-secondary dataset. |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | Approximately 48.5 students per regular senior-secondary class in 2024, based on 29.22 million students and 602,532 classes. [China MOE] [China MOE] | Approximately 30 students overall as an indicative upper-secondary figure; general senior-secondary classes average about 32 students while vocational classes are closer to 27. |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation Years | 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2025. Participation represented regional Chinese cohorts rather than a national sample; Shanghai participated in 2009 and 2012, the 2015 cohort covered Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong, and the 2018 and 2025 cohorts covered Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (B-S-J-Z). [OECD] | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. Indonesia's first assessment was conducted in 2001 through the PISA 2000 Plus administration. [OECD] |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 591 / 555 / 590 for B-S-J-Z (China). [OECD] | 379 / 371 / 396. |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | — | 366 / 359 / 383. [OECD] |
| PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 612 / 527 / 597 for B-S-J-Z (China). [OECD] | 364 / 365 / 389. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025 | Direct comparison of the full B-S-J-Z cohort is available from 2018. Between 2018 and 2025, mathematics performance was higher, reading was lower, and science was about the same. Earlier Chinese PISA cycles used different regional samples and should not be treated as one national time series. [OECD] | Indonesia's raw scores changed from 366 / 359 / 383 in 2022 to 364 / 365 / 389 in 2025 for mathematics, reading and science respectively. OECD analysis finds the 2022–2025 changes statistically about the same in all three subjects. Results in 2025 remained below Indonesia's 2015 performance. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025) | Mathematics — 612 points for B-S-J-Z (China). [OECD] | Science — 389 points. [Kemendikdasmen] |
Higher Education System
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 3,167 higher education institutions in 2025, excluding 234 research institutes authorized to train postgraduate students. [China MOE] | 4,303 institutions in the 2025 national higher-education statistics. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | — | 981 institutions classified as Universitas. Indonesia does not publish a separate statutory category specifically named “research universities.” [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | 87 vocational undergraduate institutions and 1,554 higher vocational/junior colleges in 2025. [China MOE] | The 2025 statistics record 2,885 college/applied institution types: 2,000 Sekolah Tinggi, 389 polytechnics, 465 academies and 31 community academies. Indonesia does not use a single “university of applied sciences” category. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Main Institution Types | Regular undergraduate institutions, vocational undergraduate institutions, higher vocational/junior colleges and adult higher education institutions. [China MOE] | Universities, institutes, Sekolah Tinggi, polytechnics, academies and community academies. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | Among regular and vocational undergraduate/short-cycle students in 2025, 27.04% were enrolled in private institutions and approximately 72.96% in non-private institutions. [China MOE] | Public/government-managed: approximately 50.3% | private-managed: approximately 49.7% of registered students in 2025. The official breakdown is 40.99% PTN, 7.17% public religious institutions and 2.18% government-service institutions versus 44.95% PTS and 4.71% private religious institutions. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | — | — |
| Main Global Ranking Used | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | 6 mainland Chinese universities in QS 2027: Peking University (#13), Tsinghua University (#14), Fudan University (#26), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (#36), Zhejiang University (#47) and Nanjing University (#=90). [QS] | 0 Indonesian universities in the global top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | 38 mainland Chinese institutions in QS 2027. [QS] | 7 Indonesian universities in the global top 500 of the QS World University Rankings 2027; Universitas Padjadjaran entered the top 500 at #496. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | 64 mainland Chinese institutions in QS 2027. [QS] | 12 Indonesian universities in the global top 1000 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | Higher Education Evaluation Center, Ministry of Education (HEEC), operating as an affiliated institution of the Ministry of Education. [China MOE] | BAN-PT (National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education), complemented by discipline-specific Independent Accreditation Agencies (LAM). Accreditation processes continued their transition to the SAPTO 2.0 system during 2026. [BAN-PT] |
| International Students (Total) | 271,064 international students were enrolled in Chinese higher education institutions in 2024. [China MOE] | 8,050 foreign students were studying in Indonesian higher education institutions at the end of 2025. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | — | Approximately 0.07%, based on 8,050 foreign students and 10,754,154 registered tertiary students in 2025. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | — | A representative 2026/27 regular undergraduate UKT range at Universitas Indonesia is approximately $57–$1,590 per year, converted from IDR 500,000–14,000,000 per semester. Fees vary by institution, program and assigned contribution tier, and some programs charge more. [Universitas Indonesia] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | — | Indicative foreign-student bachelor's tuition at Universitas Gadjah Mada is approximately $2,840–$5,280 per year, converted from IDR 25–46.5 million per semester. One-time institutional development fees are additional and vary by program. [UGM] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | — | Indicative public-university international or English-medium programs are approximately $1,760–$5,280 per year in current ITB postgraduate and UGM international undergraduate examples, excluding one-time charges and partner-university costs. [ITB] |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | — | Approximately $200–$225 per month equivalent for UGM's 2026 INCULS regular Indonesian-language program, based on IDR 13,692,300 for a 15–17 week semester. [UGM] |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | China | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | China operates a centrally directed education system with provincial and local authorities managing implementation. The standard school structure consists of six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary education and three years of senior secondary education. The first nine years are compulsory and tuition-free. Pre-primary participation reached a gross enrollment rate of 92.9% in 2025, while senior-secondary students were divided between general and vocational routes. Public provision accounts for most school enrollment, although non-government schools operate at compulsory and upper-secondary levels. China's PISA results represent participating regions rather than a national sample. In PISA 2025, Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (B-S-J-Z) scored 612 in mathematics, 527 in reading and 597 in science. The higher-education system contained 3,167 institutions in 2025, including regular undergraduate institutions, vocational universities and higher vocational colleges. Official 2024 statistics recorded 271,064 international students. Current changes include the Preschool Education Law, one year of free preschool education introduced in 2025 and the 2026 AI + Education Action Plan. | Indonesia has a large public/private education system in which national ministries set curriculum and standards while provincial and district authorities manage much of school delivery. The standard structure consists of six years of primary, three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education, with both general and vocational pathways. The statutory basic-education requirement remains nine years, while national policy is expanding access toward a 13-year model that includes one preschool year and education through senior secondary level. Public schools educate about two-thirds of primary and secondary students, alongside a large private and religious-school sector. Bahasa Indonesia is the main language of instruction. In PISA 2025, Indonesia scored 364 in mathematics, 365 in reading and 389 in science; OECD found no statistically clear change from 2022 in the three subjects. Higher education included 4,303 institutions and 10.75 million registered students in 2025. Current changes include deeper-learning approaches, optional Coding and AI subjects, TKA implementation and continued expansion of the 13-year education policy. |