China achieves 31.87% health literacy rate in 2024

China's health literacy reached 31.87 percent in 2024, a rise of 2.17 percentage points from the previous year, the National Health Commission said on Friday.

The rate means that about three in 10 people in China have acquired basic knowledge and skills on health.

The health literacy rate in urban areas was 34.74 percent, compared to 29.11 percent in rural regions. But the gap between urban and rural areas has shrunk compared to previous years, said the commission.

Chinese people were the most educated in knowledge about safety and first aid as the literacy rate reached nearly 62 percent in this aspect. While the literacy rate in prevention and treatment of infectious diseases was the lowest among six categories at about 30 percent.

These results are based on a survey involving about 71,800 people aged 15 to 69 across China, the commission said.