Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand
New Zealand: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 54.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand, 1981–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand stood at 54.1%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand peaked at 54.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 33.8%, in 1981.
That places New Zealand 8th out of 108 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 33.8% | — |
| 1991 | 45.7% | +35.1% |
| 2001 | 37.4% | -18.3% |
| 2006 | 46.0% | +23.0% |
| 2011 | 52.5% | +14.3% |
| 2012 | 51.0% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 50.9% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 48.7% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 50.8% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 54.1% | +6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 33.8% | 33.8% | 33.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 41.7% | 37.4% | 46.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 50.8% | 48.7% | 52.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 54.1% | 54.1% | 54.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 5 Lithuania 56.7% compare
- 6 South Korea 54.7% compare
- 7 United Arab Emirates 54.5% compare
- 9 Cayman Islands 54.0% compare
- 10 Bermuda 51.2% compare
- 11 South Africa 50.2% compare
More education data for New Zealand
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 26,597 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand was 54.1% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 54.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.8% in 1981.
- How does New Zealand rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- New Zealand ranks 8th out of 108 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release