Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand
New Zealand: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 74.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand, 1991–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand is 74.6%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand peaked at 74.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 40.9%, in 1991.
That places New Zealand 47th out of 141 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 40.9% | — |
| 2001 | 71.3% | +74.5% |
| 2006 | 72.4% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 65.6% | -9.3% |
| 2012 | 66.8% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 67.1% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 67.5% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 68.3% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 74.6% | +9.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.9% | 40.9% | 40.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 71.8% | 71.3% | 72.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 67.1% | 65.6% | 68.3% | 5 |
| 2020s | 74.6% | 74.6% | 74.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 44 Tajikistan 76.2% compare
- 45 Republic of Korea 76.1% compare
- 46 Luxembourg 76.0% compare
- 48 Republic of Moldova 74.0% compare
- 49 Belgium 74.0% compare
- 50 Saudi Arabia 73.6% compare
More education data for New Zealand
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 99,830 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.98 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand was 74.6% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 74.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9% in 1991.
- How does New Zealand rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- New Zealand ranks 47th out of 141 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, female (%). 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