BEIJING -- Aug. 31, 2026 -- Walnut Coding placed No. 44 among 500 companies in TIME's World's Top EdTech Companies 2026 ranking, the only China-based youth coding education firm to break into the global top 100. The Beijing-founded company ranked sixth among 23 China-based firms on the list, which TIME compiled with market data provider Statista after screening roughly 6,500 education technology companies worldwide.
Financial strength drives 70% of the scoring methodology
Statista weighted revenue, funding and market capitalization at 70% of each company's total score, pulling from public disclosures and company-reported data. The remaining 30% covered industry impact, measured through product reach, alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, intellectual property holdings and website traffic.
Walnut Coding has served 10 million paying learners since 2017
Founded in 2017, the company built a product portfolio spanning coding courses, educational hardware, competition-prep tools, skills-assessment programs and digital publications. Its proprietary NUTS platform offers block-based visual coding designed for children in China, while Walnut OJ provides online coding practice with simulated competition features. The company pairs structured curricula with progressive training pathways, assessment tools and coaching support for students preparing for programming competitions.
UNESCO partnership signed in 2025 targets sustainable development goals
Walnut Coding signed a partnership agreement with UNESCO in 2025 to support the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development, running through 2033. The agreement focuses on expanding digital education access and encouraging young people to apply technology to real-world problems.
Public-interest programs reached 40,000 schools across 31 provinces
The company's coding and AI education initiatives have reached more than 40,000 schools in over 400 cities across 31 provincial-level regions in China. Walnut Coding has run more than 800 teacher training sessions, generating over 7 million student participations in its programs to date.
The ranking places Walnut Coding among a small group of China-based education technology firms achieving global financial recognition in a sector where TIME and Statista tracked thousands of competitors. The company said it plans to continue investing in curriculum development and educational technology to build learners' computational thinking and problem-solving skills.