Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower female in Italy
Italy: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower female was 81.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy is 81.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy peaked at 81.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 1971.
Italy ranks 60th of 132 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower female in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 16.4% | — |
| 1981 | 28.0% | +71.0% |
| 2001 | 59.3% | +111.7% |
| 2005 | 63.5% | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 64.8% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 65.9% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 67.0% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 68.0% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 69.1% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 70.2% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 71.2% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 73.0% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 73.4% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 74.3% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 76.4% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 77.4% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 78.5% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 79.5% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 78.6% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 79.2% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 79.8% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 81.4% | +2.0% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 81.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 91.6%, 89% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Italy's 81.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 94.5%, 86% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower female in Italy changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +111.7% | 28.0% | 59.3% |
| 1981 | +71.0% | 16.4% | 28.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.4% | 16.4% | 16.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 28.0% | 28.0% | 28.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 64.7% | 59.3% | 68.0% | 6 |
| 2010s | 74.3% | 69.1% | 79.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.7% | 78.6% | 81.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.84 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.94 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy was 81.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 81.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 1971.
- How does Italy rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- Italy ranks 60th out of 132 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release