Completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United States
United States: Completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) was 99.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
99.0%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
18th
of 164 countries
All-time high
99.0%
in 2025
All-time low
94.7%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United States, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United States stood at 99.0%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United States peaked at 99.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 94.7%, in 1981.
That places United States 18th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 94.7% | — |
| 1982 | 94.7% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 94.8% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 94.8% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 94.8% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 95.0% | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 94.9% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 94.9% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 94.9% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 94.8% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 94.9% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 95.6% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 95.8% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 96.1% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 96.3% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 96.5% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 96.7% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 96.9% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 97.2% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 97.4% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 98.0% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 98.2% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 94.8% | 94.7% | 95.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 95.2% | 94.8% | 96.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 97.3% | 96.3% | 98.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.6% | 98.3% | 98.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.9% | 98.9% | 99.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.78 million (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United States?
- Completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United States was 99.0% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 94.7% in 1981.
- How does United States rank for completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- United States ranks 18th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, lower secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release