Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in New Zealand
New Zealand: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 38.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
38.6%
World rank
33rd
of 128 countries
All-time high
40.6%
in 2011
All-time low
25.3%
in 2001
Years of data
8
2001–2020
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in New Zealand, 2001–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 38.6% for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2020.
That represents a change of down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in New Zealand peaked at 40.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 2001.
That places New Zealand 33rd out of 128 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 25.3% | — |
| 2006 | 32.3% | +27.7% |
| 2011 | 40.6% | +26.0% |
| 2012 | 39.7% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 32.9% | -17.2% |
| 2015 | 32.2% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 34.1% | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 38.6% | +13.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.8% | 25.3% | 32.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 32.2% | 40.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 38.6% | 38.6% | 38.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 30 Saudi Arabia 39.9% compare
- 31 Slovenia 39.4% compare
- 32 France 38.8% compare
- 34 Netherlands 38.5% compare
- 35 Andorra 37.9% compare
- 36 Seychelles 37.3% compare
More education data for New Zealand
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 278,787 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 3.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 110,356 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 251,357 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 22,505 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,092 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 151,526 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in New Zealand?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in New Zealand was 38.6% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 40.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 2001.
- How does New Zealand rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- New Zealand ranks 33rd out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release