Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) was 90.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 90.3% 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 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 90.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 82.8%, in 1981.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 29th of 164 countries on this measure, in the top 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 82.8% | — |
| 1982 | 83.0% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 83.3% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 83.6% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 83.8% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 84.0% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 84.3% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 84.6% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 84.8% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 85.1% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 85.4% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 86.1% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 86.5% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 87.0% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 87.2% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 87.3% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 87.4% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 87.5% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 87.5% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 87.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 87.6% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 87.7% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 87.6% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 87.7% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 87.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 87.9% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 88.1% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 88.3% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 88.5% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 88.6% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 88.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 88.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 89.1% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 89.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 89.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 89.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 89.9% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 90.1% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 90.3% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 83.8% | 82.8% | 84.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 86.4% | 85.1% | 87.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.5% | 87.4% | 87.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.4% | 87.7% | 89.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.8% | 89.3% | 90.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 102.17 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 90.3% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 90.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.8% in 1981.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 29th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.
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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