Recently, the Ministry of Education, National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Finance co-released the 2018 Statistical Bulletin on Education Spending. According to the published data, national investments in education totaled RMB 4.6143 trillion for the year, 8.41% higher than the RMB 4.256201 trillion of 2017, while funds channeled into education through national finance in 2018 reached RMB 3.699577 trillion, 8.15% above the RMB 3.420775 trillion of 2017, accounting for 4.11% of national GDP in 2018, a proportion that has remained stable for 7 consecutive years since 2012. General public expenditure on education totaled RMB 3.199273 trillion, marking a 6.93% increase on the previous year; and it represented 14.48% of the national public budget (RMB 22.090413 trillion in total), 0.25% lower than 14.73% in 2017.

According to the Bulletin, in 2018, general public expenditure on education (including operating expenditure, investments in infrastructure, and education surcharge) per student in kindergartens, primary schools, junior middle schools, senior middle schools, secondary vocational schools and higher education institutions increased 10.36%, 3.82%, 4.79%, 8.64%, 7.90% and 3.61%, respectively; general public operating expenditure for education per student in kindergartens, primary schools, junior middle schools, senior middle schools, secondary vocational schools and higher education institutions increased 11.52%, 3.60%, 3.81%, 8.62%, 6.99% and 3.33%, respectively; and public funding per student in kindergartens, primary schools, junior middle schools, senior middle schools, secondary vocational schools, and higher education institutions increased 9.22%, 2.29%, 3.04%, 7.40%, 6.06% and 3.76%, respectively.