Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Australia
Australia: Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary was 47.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Australia stood at 47.5%.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Australia peaked at 48.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 28.7%, in 2001.
That places Australia 11th out of 129 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Australia, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 28.7% | — |
| 2002 | 29.2% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 30.1% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 30.8% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 31.7% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 33.0% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 33.7% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 35.8% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 36.8% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 37.5% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 38.4% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 41.3% | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 37.2% | -9.9% |
| 2014 | 39.5% | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 40.4% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 41.4% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 42.6% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 43.3% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 44.5% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 46.5% | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 47.0% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 48.7% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 46.5% | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 47.5% | +2.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 47.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 37.8%, 1.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Australia's 47.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.3%, 2.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32.2% | 28.7% | 36.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 37.2% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.2% | 46.5% | 48.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.88 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Australia?
- Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in Australia was 47.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.7% in 2001.
- How does Australia rank for educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary?
- Australia ranks 11th out of 129 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed short-cycle tertiary education.