Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand
New Zealand: Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary was 51.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand, 1981–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand is 51.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in New Zealand peaked at 51.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 30.4%, in 1981.
That places New Zealand 13th out of 110 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
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 | 30.4% | — |
| 1991 | 39.1% | +28.7% |
| 2001 | 34.9% | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 42.4% | +21.4% |
| 2011 | 48.1% | +13.4% |
| 2012 | 47.0% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 45.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 44.1% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 46.1% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 51.1% | +10.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 30.4% | 30.4% | 30.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 39.1% | 39.1% | 39.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.7% | 34.9% | 42.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 46.2% | 44.1% | 48.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 51.1% | 51.1% | 51.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- 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 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.9% (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 51.1% 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 51.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.4% in 1981.
- How does New Zealand rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- New Zealand ranks 13th out of 110 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 6.1%. 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, both sexes (%). 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