China's population with higher education reaches 270 million

China now has 270 million people who have received higher education, Vice Minister of Education Wang Guangyan said on Wednesday.

The official made the statement at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on accelerating efforts during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) to build a leading country in education.

"Currently, China has established the largest education system with quality in the world, with the levels of education coverage and fairness ranking among the highest globally. China's basic education has reached the average of high-income countries, with the gross enrollment rate for preschool education reaching 92.9 percent, the retention rate for compulsory education standing at 96.1 percent, and the gross enrollment rate for senior secondary education reaching 92 percent. China has fully implemented the 15-minute inter-class break and two-hour comprehensive sports activities daily for primary and junior high school students, and the overall student myopia rate has declined for five consecutive years," said the official.

"The capacity of higher education has been effectively enhanced to serve independent sci-tech innovation and the training of homegrown talent, and we have moved faster in cultivating a large batch of top-tier innovators that are urgently needed by national strategies and industries. Higher education institutions led three fourths of the projects which won the State Natural Science Award, State Technological Invention Award, and State Scientific and Technological Progress Award for the year 2025 in the 'General Projects' category. Vocational education has provided over 70 percent of new high-skilled talent for modern industries. There are now 270 million people who have received higher education in China. The country's international influence in education has been constantly strengthened," Wang added.

China has set a goal to build itself into a leading country in education by 2035.

China's population with higher education reaches 270 million

Austria has sent 48 young professionals -- Europe's largest national team -- to compete at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, which is being held from Tuesday to Sunday in Shanghai.

The Austrian competitors hail from a wide range of trades, from railway work and cement masonry to hairdressing and baking. All delegation members for this year's competition are under 22.

"In Austria the topic 'skills and competition' is very important. And so we say ok, let's send a big team because we want to produce motivators for the next generation. And what's [a better] motivator than the guy who competed in a WorldSkills competitionn," said Jurgen Kraft, head of Team Austria.

Although Austria last topped the gold medal table nearly three decades ago, the country is aiming for a comeback performance with this year's delegation.

"The chances of winning the most gold medals from all countries -- to be honest not that high, it's always China on top. But we are trying to be the best European country competing there," said Tarik Begeta, a member of the team.

Held every two years, the WorldSkills Competition is the world's largest international gathering of skilled professionals. This year's event will feature 64 skills, including seven new categories such as software testing and unmanned aerial systems. It has brought together about 1,400 competitors from nearly 70 countries and regions.

The competition covers six major skill areas, including manufacturing and engineering technology, information and communication technology, construction and building technology, transportation and logistics, creative arts and fashion, and social and personal services.

Austria sends Europe's biggest team to WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai