Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 100.0% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United Kingdom, 2009–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United Kingdom is 100.0%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United Kingdom peaked at 100.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 99.7%, in 2009.
That places United Kingdom 1st out of 106 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 99.7% | — |
| 2010 | 99.8% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 99.8% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 99.8% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 100.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 99.7% | 99.7% | 99.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 99.8% | 99.8% | 100.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- 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 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United Kingdom?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United Kingdom was 100.0% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 99.7% in 2009.
- How does United Kingdom rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- United Kingdom ranks 1st out of 106 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release