Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 81.1% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2009–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 81.1% for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in 2021.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 86.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 72.0%, in 2013.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 28th out of 141 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 82.6% | — |
| 2010 | 84.5% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 84.6% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 86.4% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 72.0% | -16.6% |
| 2014 | 73.3% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 76.7% | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 80.1% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 81.1% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 82.6% | 82.6% | 82.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 79.6% | 72.0% | 86.4% | 6 |
| 2020s | 80.6% | 80.1% | 81.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 102.17 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 81.1% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 86.4% in 2012.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.0% in 2013.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 28th out of 141 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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