Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in Australia
Australia: Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban was 53.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Australia is 53.4%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Australia peaked at 53.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 30.2%, in 2001.
That places Australia 6th out of 101 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 30.2% | — |
| 2002 | 30.6% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 31.6% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 35.1% | +11.1% |
| 2005 | 32.8% | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 33.3% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 33.6% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 35.0% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 35.2% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 43.1% | +22.7% |
| 2011 | 44.7% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 47.9% | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 42.9% | -10.6% |
| 2014 | 40.8% | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 41.8% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 42.9% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 44.1% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 44.8% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 46.0% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 48.3% | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 48.6% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 50.1% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 52.5% | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 53.4% | +1.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 53.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.2%, 1.3× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Australia's 53.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 27.2%, 2.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.0% | 30.2% | 35.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 43.9% | 40.8% | 47.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.6% | 48.3% | 53.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.88 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Australia?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Australia was 53.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 53.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.2% in 2001.
- How does Australia rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 101 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release