Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) was 14.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
14.2%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
150th
of 164 countries
All-time high
14.2%
in 2025
All-time low
6.0%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Papua New Guinea, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 14.2% for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Papua New Guinea peaked at 14.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1981.
Papua New Guinea ranks 150th of 164 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 6.0% | — |
| 1982 | 6.1% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 6.3% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 6.4% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 6.5% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 6.6% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 6.5% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 6.5% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 6.3% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 6.3% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 6.2% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 6.2% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 6.2% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.3% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 6.5% | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 6.8% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 7.1% | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 7.5% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 7.8% | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 7.9% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 8.0% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 8.1% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 8.3% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 8.6% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 9.1% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 9.3% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 9.7% | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 10.0% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 10.3% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 10.7% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 11.0% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 11.2% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 11.6% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 11.9% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 12.8% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 13.0% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 13.3% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 13.5% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 13.8% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 14.0% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 14.2% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.3% | 6.0% | 6.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 6.2% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.5% | 7.8% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.4% | 10.0% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.6% | 13.0% | 14.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 147 Ethiopia 15.4% compare
- 148 Madagascar 14.6% compare
- 149 Liberia 14.2% compare
- 151 Sierra Leone 13.3% compare
- 152 Guinea-Bissau 12.7% compare
- 153 Vanuatu 11.3% compare
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- 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 (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 40,888 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Papua New Guinea?
- Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Papua New Guinea was 14.2% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 14.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1981.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 150th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, upper 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