Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in France

France: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or was 90.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
90.4%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
31st
of 94 countries
All-time high
90.4%
in 2023
All-time low
70.0%
in 2004
Years of data
18
2004–2023

Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in France, 2004–2023

0204060801002004201320232004: 70 %2005: 72 %2007: 74.2 %2008: 75.7 %2009: 75.9 %2010: 76.9 %2011: 77.9 %2012: 78.9 %2013: 79.6 %2014: 80.8 %2015: 82.4 %2016: 83.6 %2017: 84.2 %2018: 80.5 %2019: 85.2 %2020: 82.1 %2022: 89.8 %2023: 90.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

France recorded 90.4% for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in 2023. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in France peaked at 90.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 70.0%, in 2004.

France ranks 31st of 94 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in France, year by year

Annual values for Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%) in France, 2004 to 2023.
Year % Change
2004 70.0%
2005 72.0% +2.8%
2007 74.2% +3.1%
2008 75.7% +2.0%
2009 75.9% +0.2%
2010 76.9% +1.3%
2011 77.9% +1.3%
2012 78.9% +1.3%
2013 79.6% +0.9%
2014 80.8% +1.4%
2015 82.4% +2.1%
2016 83.6% +1.4%
2017 84.2% +0.7%
2018 80.5% -4.4%
2019 85.2% +5.9%
2020 82.1% -3.7%
2022 89.8% +9.5%
2023 90.4% +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 73.6% 70.0% 75.9% 5
2010s 81.0% 76.9% 85.2% 10
2020s 87.4% 82.1% 90.4% 3

Countries ranked near France

  1. 28 Israel 90.8% compare
  2. 29 Denmark 90.8% compare
  3. 30 Ireland 90.5% compare
  4. 32 Malta 90.1% compare
  5. 33 Romania 89.0% compare
  6. 34 Finland 88.3% compare

See the full ranking of 94 places →

More education data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in France?
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in France was 90.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 90.4% in 2023.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 70.0% in 2004.
How does France rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
France ranks 31st out of 94 countries with data for 2023.
Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France 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, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in France. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-lower-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-8/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
94 places, 1,295 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release