Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy

Italy: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or was 81.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
81.4%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
59th
of 131 countries
All-time high
81.4%
in 2023
All-time low
16.4%
in 1971
Years of data
22
1971–2023

Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy, 1971–2023

204060801971199720231971: 16.4 %1981: 28 %2001: 59.3 %2005: 63.5 %2006: 64.8 %2007: 65.9 %2008: 67 %2009: 68 %2010: 69.1 %2011: 70.2 %2012: 71.2 %2013: 73 %2014: 73.4 %2015: 74.3 %2016: 76.4 %2017: 77.4 %2018: 78.5 %2019: 79.5 %2020: 78.6 %2021: 79.2 %2022: 79.8 %2023: 81.4 %

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 59th of 131 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 education or in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%) in Italy, 1971 to 2023.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 56 Spain 82.3% compare
  2. 57 Saudi Arabia 82.0% compare
  3. 58 Sri Lanka 81.8% compare
  4. 60 Jamaica 79.8% compare
  5. 61 Malaysia 79.0% compare
  6. 62 Hong Kong, China 77.9% compare

See the full ranking of 132 places →

More education data for Italy

All data for Italy →

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 59th out of 131 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.

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Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-lower-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-3/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
132 places, 1,881 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release