BEIJING — The prevalence of myopia among Chinese children and teenagers was 52.7 percent in 2020, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points from 2018, the Ministry of Education said on Oct 26.

The myopia rate in 2020 was 2.5 percentage points higher than the 2019 level, as schools shifted classes online and students had to study at home due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

According to the ministry, this decline has basically met the annual target of reducing the myopia rate by 0.5 percentage points stipulated in a 2018 plan.

The plan also set forth a series of targets including reducing the myopia rate among primary school, middle school and high school students to less than 38 percent, 60 percent and 70 percent by 2030, respectively.