Health literacy rates increase

The health literacy rate of Chinese people reached nearly 29.7 percent in 2023, up 1.92 percentage points from the previous year, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.

The figure indicates nearly 30 out of 100 people in China have obtained basic health knowledge.

The rate among urban residents rose by 1.31 percentage points year-on-year to 33.25 percent in 2023, the rate among rural residents increased by 2.45 percentage points to 26.23 percent, the commission said.

Residents in eastern parts of China continue to have the highest level of health literacy, compared with those in middle and western provinces.

The health literacy rate stood at 8.8 percent in 2012. China aims to raise the rate to no less than 30 percent by 2030.