Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Australia
Australia: Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling was 12.87 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Australia stood at 12.87 years. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Australia peaked at 12.87 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.23 years, in 1990.
That places Australia 21st out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.29 years | 11.23 years | 11.34 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.58 years | 11.29 years | 11.99 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.26 years | 12.02 years | 12.56 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.79 years | 12.64 years | 12.87 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 99.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 105,469 (1999)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.64 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Australia?
- Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Australia was 12.87 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.87 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.23 years in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling?
- Australia ranks 21st out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.