Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper rural both in France
France: Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper rural both was 66.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
66.8%
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
36th
of 113 countries
All-time high
72.1%
in 2019
All-time low
40.9%
in 1993
Years of data
28
1993–2020
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in France, 1993–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
France recorded 66.8% for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in 2020.
The figure is down 7.4% on the previous year and up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in France peaked at 72.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 40.9%, in 1993.
France ranks 36th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper … upper rural both in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 40.9% | — |
| 1994 | 42.8% | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 44.0% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 43.8% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 45.1% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 44.9% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 45.9% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 47.0% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 48.3% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 49.4% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 49.1% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 51.8% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 53.8% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 46.1% | -14.2% |
| 2007 | 56.5% | +22.4% |
| 2008 | 58.4% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 58.9% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 59.3% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 60.9% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 62.4% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 65.0% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 67.0% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 68.9% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 69.4% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 70.2% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 65.0% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 72.1% | +11.0% |
| 2020 | 66.8% | -7.4% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 66.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 73.5%, 91% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- France's 66.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 77.6%, 86% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.9% | 40.9% | 45.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 51.9% | 46.1% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.0% | 59.3% | 72.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.8% | 66.8% | 66.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
- 33 Netherlands 71.3% compare
- 34 South Korea 68.7% compare
- 35 Cyprus 68.2% compare
- 37 Oman 66.5% compare
- 38 Moldova 65.7% compare
- 39 Bosnia and Herzegovina 63.6% compare
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in France?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in France was 66.8% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 72.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9% in 1993.
- How does France rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- France ranks 36th out of 113 countries with data for 2020.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release