Statistical Monitoring Report of Outline for Children’s Development in China (2021-2030) in 2024

National Bureau of Statistics of China, December 2025

To offer a comprehensive picture of the progress of the Outline for Children’s Development in China (2021-2030) (hereinafter referred to as the “Outline”), the National Bureau of Statistics carried out a thorough analysis of its implementation progress in 2024 in seven aspects: children’s health, safety, education, welfare, family, environment, and legal protection. The analysis drew upon the statistical monitoring indicator system and relevant departmental data pertaining to the Outline. The results revealed that[1] the implementation of the Outline achieved overall progress in 2024: children’s health has continued to improve; safety and protection have been further strengthened; the right to education has been fully safeguarded; the level of child welfare has steadily risen; family education guidance services and the fertility support system have been progressively optimized; the environment for children’s growth has continued to improve; and mechanisms for the legal protection of children have been gradually refined.

I. Children and Health

(I) The level of children’s health has continued to improve. The Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Children’s Medical and Health Services were issued and implemented, further improving the children’s medical and health service system. As at the end of 2024, there were 3,073 maternity and child care institutions and 162 children’s hospitals across China. The number of personnel working in the maternity and child care institutions was 586 thousand, the number of practicing (and assistant) pediatric physicians reached 244 thousand, and the number of pediatric beds totaled 550 thousand nationwide. In 2024, the national neonatal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and mortality rate for children under the age of 5 were 2.5‰, 4.0‰, and 5.6‰, respectively, decreased by 0.3, 0.5, and 0.6 per mille points compared with those in 2023.

(II) The system for the comprehensive prevention and control of birth defects has been continuously optimized. The Work Plan on Efficient Prevention and Control of Birth Defects (2023-2027) has been implemented to make birth defect prevention and control services more inclusive and accessible. In 2024, the coverage rate of the target population for pre-pregnancy eugenics health check and the national premarital medical examination rate were 93.2% and 77.1%, respectively. The rates of prenatal examination, prenatal screening, and newborn visits stood at 98.3%, 93.5%, and 97.7%, up by 0.1, 2.2, and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.

(III) The capacity of children’s health care and medical services has been further enhanced. The implementation of the Action Plan for Child Health Improvement (2021-2025), along with the advancement of the National Essential Public Health Service Program for Health Management of Children Aged 0-6, significantly boosted the capacity of providing children’s health care and medical services. In 2024, the systematic management rate for children under the age of 3, the health management rate for children under the age of 7, and the coverage rate of eye health and vision checks for children aged 0-6 were 94.9%, 96.1%, 95.4%, respectively, marking an increase of 0.6, 0.2, and 0.3 percentage points compared with 2023. Childhood immunization has been carried out in a standardized manner. Vaccines included in the National Immunization Program for eligible children have consistently maintained a vaccination rate of over 90%.

(IV) Efforts to protect the physical and mental health of children have been continuously improved. With the implementation of the Special Action Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving the Mental Health Work of Students in the New Era (2023-2025), the work system for students’ mental health has been gradually improved. In 2024, 56.9% of primary and secondary school students achieved a good or excellent rating under the National Standards for Students’ Physical Health, representing an increase of 0.3 percentage points from 2023. The proportions of primary and secondary schools with full-time mental health education teachers were 45.6% and 67.4%, marking an increase of 3.3 percentage points and 2.6 percentage points, respectively. The proportion of secondary schools that offer education on HIV/AIDS and sex education-related courses and activities increased by 0.3 percentage points to 97.1%.

II. Children and Safety

(I) The child injury prevention and control system has been continuously improved. A sound multi-departmental cooperation mechanism for child injury prevention and control has been established, safety education and guidance for primary and secondary school students have been further strengthened, the Action Plan for Students’ Traffic Safety Enhancement (2023-2026) has been thoroughly implemented, and multiple departments have jointly carried out special initiatives to prevent drowning among primary and secondary school students, leading to a sustained increase in awareness of child injury prevention and control.

(II) The safety of children’s food and products has been continuously strengthened. The newly revised Administrative Measures for the Registration of Product Formulas of Infant Formula Milk Powder have been earnestly implemented. System inspections and risk prevention and control for infant formula milk powder manufacturers have been continuously enhanced, and stringent management has been applied throughout the entire process, from the acceptance of raw and auxiliary materials to production process control and pre-market product inspection, thereby raising the quality of infant formula milk powder. In 2024, the pass rate of food safety sampling inspections for infant formula milk powder reached 99.88%. Supervision, random inspections, and risk monitoring efforts have been intensified to consistently ensure the safety of products used by children and students.

III. Children and Education

(I) The development of high-quality and inclusive preschool education has been steadily advanced. The Preschool Education Law of the People’s Republic of China was promulgated and implemented, providing a legal foundation for the universal, inclusive, safe, and high-quality development of preschool education. In 2024, the gross enrollment rate for preschool education nationwide was 92.0%, representing an increase of 0.9 percentage points compared with 2023. The number of inclusive kindergartens amounted to 221 thousand, accounting for 87.3% of all kindergartens, up by 1.1 percentage points, and the coverage rate of inclusive kindergartens increased by 0.8 percentage points to 91.6%.

(II) Compulsory education has been continuously advanced toward high-quality and balanced development. With the implementation of the Opinions on Building a Quality and Balanced Basic Public Education Service System and the Opinions in Relation to the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Expansion and Improvement of Elementary Education in the New Era, high-quality resources for basic education have continued to expand, and the high-quality and balanced development of compulsory education has accelerated. In 2024, the consolidation rate of nine-year compulsory education was 95.9%, marking an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared with 2023. The net enrollment rate of primary school-age children remained at 99.9%. There were a total of 188 thousand schools at the compulsory education level in China, staffed with 10.739 million full-time teachers. Among them, the full-time teachers with a bachelor’s degree or above were 86.3%, marking an increase of 2.6 percentage points. Enrollment at the compulsory education level totaled 160 million students. The proportion of children of migrant workers who are attending public schools (including those benefiting from government-purchased services) at the compulsory education stage was 97.0%, marking an increase of 0.2 percentage points.

(III) Greater efforts have been dedicated to developing senior high school education[2]. The diversified development of senior high schools has been promoted, and the supply of educational resources for general senior high schools has increased. In 2024, the gross enrollment rate for senior high schools rose by 0.2 percentage points from 2023 to 92.0%. There were a total of 25 thousand senior high schools nationwide, an increase of 123 schools, of which 16 thousand are general senior high schools, an increase of 374 schools, and 9,302 are secondary vocational education[3] schools. The total number of students enrolled in senior high school education reached 45.803 million, including 29.223 million in general senior high schools, an increase of 1.187 million, and 16.580 million in secondary vocational schools. New admissions to senior high education totaled 16.118 million nationwide, of which 10.362 million were admitted to general senior high schools, an increase of 684 thousand, and 5.756 million to secondary vocational schools.

(IV) Special education has been consolidated. The implementation of the Action Plan for the Development and Improvement of Special Education during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period has increased the supply of special education resources. In 2024, there were 2,396 special education schools nationwide, an increase of 51 compared with 2023. There were 81 thousand full-time special education teachers, up by 5.5%. There were 916 thousand students enrolled in special education nationwide, of which 345 thousand were enrolled in special education schools, accounting for 37.7%; while the remaining 571 thousand were enrolled in other schools, making up 62.3%.

IV. Children and Welfare

(I) The level of child welfare has been improved steadily. The policy and institutional framework for child welfare have been continuously strengthened, with basic living support for orphans and de facto unsupported children and rehabilitation support for children with disabilities further enhanced. In 2024, the average monthly allowances for orphans in welfare institutions and in families that provide temporary care were 1,987.1 yuan and 1,527.1 yuan per person, respectively, an increase of 85.0 yuan and 73.2 yuan compared with 2023. The average monthly allowance for de facto unsupported children was 1,515.9 yuan, an increase of 70.6 yuan. Throughout the year, a total of 499 thousand children with disabilities received rehabilitation assistance. As at the end of 2024, 6.530 million children were provided with the subsistence allowance.

(II) The quality of child care and services has been continuously enhanced. Multiple departments and units jointly issued and implemented the Action Plan for Strengthened Care and Protection of Migrant Children, which, for the first time, clearly defined a list of basic care and services to which migrant children are entitled at their place of residence. With the implementation of the Three-Year Action Plan on the High-Quality Care and Services for Left-Behind Children in Rural Areas and Children in Need and the Three-Year Action Plan for Advancing the “Loving Mothers” Paired Care Program for Left-Behind Children and Children in Need, the child-related workforce at the primary level has been continuously strengthened to provide better child care and services. As at the end of 2024, there were 443 child welfare institutions in China. The number of child supervisors and child directors nationwide reached 42 thousand and 583 thousand, respectively, achieving the objective of placing child supervisors at the township level and child directors at the village level. The number of community-based children’s homes in urban and rural areas increased by 1,767 from the end of 2023 to a total of 338 thousand.

V. Children and Family

(I) The family education guidance service system covering both urban and rural areas has been progressively refined. The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Family Education Promotion was publicized to support the establishment of a family education guidance service system that spans both urban and rural areas. In 2024, the number of urban community parent schools or family education guidance service stations established with the participation of women’s federations was 104 thousand, an increase of 4 thousand compared with 2023, and the number of rural community (village) parent schools or family education guidance service stations was 380 thousand, an increase of 57 thousand.

(II) The fertility support system has been improved at a faster pace. With the implementation of the Measures on Accelerating the Improvement of the Fertility Support Policy System and Promoting the Development of a Fertility-Friendly Society, the fertility support policy system has been continuously improved, and a fertility-friendly social environment has been gradually fostered. As at the end of 2024, a total of 114 thousand institutions across the country provided childcare services, with a total of 5.737 million childcare spots, and 4.08 childcare spots for children under the age of 3 per 1,000 people nationwide, an increase of 0.7 from the end of 2023.

VI. Children and Environment

(I) The public cultural services for children have been continuously strengthened. The availability of public cultural products for teenagers and children has been increasing, and the content of public cultural services has been growing and diversifying. In 2024, a total of 44 thousand types and 1.08 billion copies (or pieces) of children’s books for junior high school and below were published nationwide, an increase of 66.97 million copies (or pieces) compared with 2023; a total of 1.621 million boxes (or units) of children’s audio-visual products were published. The public libraries nationwide held a collection of 230 million children’s literature, an increase of 17.891 million. The total broadcast time of TV animations and children’s TV programs was 490 thousand hours and 651 thousand hours, respectively, an increase of 17 thousand hours and 15 thousand hours, respectively. Broadcast hours of children’s radio programs nationwide totaled 261 thousand hours. A total of 330 million visits to museums[4] by minors were recorded nationwide, an increase of 25.84 million visits. The number of attendances by adolescents in science outreach lectures and activities reached 400 million, an increase of 27.33 million.

(II) The growth environment for children has been constantly optimized. With the implementation of the Guiding Opinions on the Accelerated High-Quality Development of Rural Water, a full-chain, whole-process rural drinking water safety system has been gradually established, ensuring the safety of drinking water for urban and rural residents. As at the end of 2024, the tap water coverage rate in rural areas reached 94%, an increase of 4.0 percentage points compared with the end of 2023. In 2024, the compliance rate for centralized drinking water source quality in cities at or above the prefecture level nationwide was 96.0%. With the implementation of the Five-Year Action Plan for Improving Rural Living Environment (2021–2025), the coverage rate of sanitary toilets in rural areas has steadily increased, and the level of rural living environment governance has been significantly improved. As at the end of 2024, the coverage rate of sanitary toilets in rural areas reached about 76%, an increase of approximately 1.0 percentage point compared with the end of 2023.

(III) A child-friendly environment has been gradually established. The Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Child-Friendly Cities have been thoroughly implemented to promote the practice of child-friendly philosophy across society. A child-friendly environment has gradually taken shape. As at the end of 2024, a total of 93 cities were included in the national list of child-friendly cities. In 2024, more than 5.485 million pieces of illegal and harmful online content that harmed children were handled.

VII. Children and Legal Protection

(I) Judicial protection for minors has been effectively supported. The issuance and implementation of the Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Judicial Protection and Crime Prevention for Minors have comprehensively enhanced the level of judicial protection and crime prevention among minors. As at the end of 2024, a total of 2,720 juvenile courts were established nationwide, an increase of 539 compared with the end of 2023; 2,384 specialized agencies for minor prosecution were set up; there were a total of 3,094 legal aid institutions, an increase of 28. In 2024, a total of 213 thousand instances of legal assistance were provided to minors, marking an increase of 14 thousand compared with 2023. Moreover, 20 thousand minors received judicial assistance from the people’s courts, the people’s procuratorates, and the judicial system.

(II) Violations and crimes against children were severely punished in accordance with the law. China’s Action Plan Against Human Trafficking (2021-2030) has been thoroughly implemented, with special campaigns carried out to crack down on the trafficking of women and children. Illegal and criminal acts targeting children have been severely punished in accordance with the law. The quality and effectiveness of efforts to combat crimes harming children have been continuously enhanced, thereby safeguarding children’s lawful rights and interests. In 2024, a total of 337 cases of child trafficking and 12 thousand cases of child molestation were solved across the country. Throughout the year, 24 enforcement actions were taken against websites and online platforms for violations infringing on children’s rights and interests.

Notes:

[1] The totals or relative figures for certain data may be subject to calculation discrepancies due to rounding and differences in the choice of measurement units.

[2] Senior high school education includes generalsenior high school education and secondary vocational education. Data on secondary vocational education includes technical schools.

[3] Secondary vocational education includes regular secondary vocational schools, adult specialized secondary schools, vocational high schools, secondary vocational classes affiliated with other schools, and technical schools.

[4] The museums herein refer to state-owned museums.