Educational attainment rate, completed … Bachelor urban both in Australia
Australia: Educational attainment rate, completed … Bachelor urban both was 42.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Australia stood at 42.5%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Australia peaked at 42.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 2002.
That places Australia 6th out of 89 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 rate, completed … Bachelor urban both in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 21.2% | — |
| 2002 | 21.2% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 21.7% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 22.3% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 23.4% | +4.9% |
| 2006 | 23.4% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 23.9% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 25.4% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 25.4% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 26.6% | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 30.2% | +13.2% |
| 2012 | 31.0% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 27.9% | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 29.9% | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 31.0% | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 31.4% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 32.8% | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 33.2% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 34.6% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 36.6% | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 37.7% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 38.3% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 41.5% | +8.3% |
| 2024 | 42.5% | +2.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 42.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 33.6%, 1.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Australia's 42.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.4%, 2.1× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.1% | 21.2% | 25.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 30.9% | 26.6% | 34.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.3% | 36.6% | 42.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 3 Georgia 45.8% compare
- 4 Luxembourg 44.9% compare
- 5 Switzerland 42.9% compare
- 7 Mongolia 42.5% compare
- 8 United States 41.7% compare
- 9 United Kingdom 40.2% compare
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 rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Australia?
- Educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in Australia was 42.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 42.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 2002.
- How does Australia rank for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release