Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Germany
Germany: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 79.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Germany, 1993–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
Germany recorded 79.9% for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in 2023.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Germany peaked at 81.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 64.3%, in 1996.
Germany ranks 29th of 141 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Germany, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 65.0% | — |
| 1995 | 67.5% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 64.3% | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 66.7% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 66.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 68.4% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 69.9% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 70.6% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 71.3% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 71.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 70.5% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 70.9% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 72.4% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 73.7% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 74.4% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 75.2% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 76.0% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 76.5% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 77.1% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 77.9% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 78.3% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 78.6% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 79.8% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 80.1% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 81.0% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 80.7% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 79.2% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 79.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 79.9% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 66.0% | 64.3% | 67.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 71.3% | 68.4% | 74.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.0% | 75.2% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.8% | 79.2% | 80.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 26 Switzerland 81.9% compare
- 27 Hungary 81.2% compare
- 28 United Kingdom 81.1% compare
- 30 United Arab Emirates 79.2% compare
- 31 Iceland 79.1% compare
- 32 Austria 79.1% compare
More education data for Germany
- 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 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 283,851 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 13.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Germany?
- Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Germany was 79.9% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 81.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.3% in 1996.
- How does Germany rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- Germany ranks 29th out of 141 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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 upper secondary, population 25+, female (%) (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 upper secondary education.