Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (%) (upper) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (%) (upper) was 84.5% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes in United Kingdom, 2006–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 84.5% for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes in 2019. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes in United Kingdom peaked at 84.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 76.2%, in 2008.
That places United Kingdom 29th out of 95 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (%) (upper) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 77.4% | — |
| 2007 | 76.2% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 76.2% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 77.2% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 77.1% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 79.3% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 81.4% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 80.8% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 82.5% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 84.3% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 83.0% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 82.7% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 84.5% | +2.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 84.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 87.0%, 97% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 84.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 88.1%, 96% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 76.7% | 76.2% | 77.4% | 4 |
| 2010s | 81.9% | 77.1% | 84.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes in United Kingdom?
- Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes in United Kingdom was 84.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 84.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.2% in 2008.
- How does United Kingdom rank for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- United Kingdom ranks 29th out of 95 countries with data for 2019.
- Is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release