Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Australia

Australia: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 79.9% in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
79.9%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
38th
of 142 countries
All-time high
81.7%
in 2022
All-time low
21.5%
in 1971
Years of data
25
1971–2024

Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Australia, 1971–2024

204060801971199720241971: 21.5 %2001: 59.3 %2002: 60.5 %2003: 61.2 %2004: 64.1 %2005: 65 %2006: 66.7 %2007: 68.2 %2008: 70.1 %2009: 70.9 %2010: 72.8 %2011: 74.1 %2012: 76.5 %2013: 72 %2014: 73.6 %2015: 75.5 %2016: 76.4 %2017: 77.3 %2018: 78.3 %2019: 79 %2020: 80.1 %2021: 81.1 %2022: 81.7 %2023: 79 %2024: 79.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Australia is 79.9%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Australia peaked at 81.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 1971.

Australia ranks 38th of 142 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 21.5% 21.5% 21.5% 1
2000s 65.1% 59.3% 70.9% 9
2010s 75.6% 72.0% 79.0% 10
2020s 80.3% 79.0% 81.7% 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 35 United Kingdom 80.5% compare
  2. 36 Bulgaria 80.2% compare
  3. 37 Iceland 80.2% compare
  4. 39 Singapore 79.0% compare
  5. 40 Cyprus 78.3% compare
  6. 41 Denmark 78.1% compare

See the full ranking of 142 places β†’

More education data for Australia

All data for Australia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Australia?
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Australia was 79.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 81.7% in 2022.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 1971.
How does Australia rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
Australia ranks 38th out of 142 countries with data for 2024.
Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. 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 upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-upper-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
142 places, 2,313 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release