Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Italy

Italy: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 55.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
55.3%
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
75th
of 142 countries
All-time high
55.3%
in 2023
All-time low
15.3%
in 1981
Years of data
33
1981–2023

Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Italy, 1981–2023

20304050601981200220231981: 15.3 %1992: 27.7 %1993: 27.6 %1994: 29.4 %1995: 30.7 %1996: 31.8 %1997: 33.3 %1998: 36.3 %1999: 37.9 %2000: 39.4 %2001: 35.4 %2002: 36.6 %2003: 38.8 %2004: 39.6 %2005: 40.5 %2006: 41.4 %2007: 43.1 %2008: 44 %2009: 44.7 %2010: 45.5 %2011: 46.2 %2012: 47.3 %2013: 48 %2014: 48.6 %2015: 49.2 %2016: 50.1 %2017: 51 %2018: 52 %2019: 52.6 %2020: 52.5 %2021: 52.4 %2022: 52.8 %2023: 55.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Italy stood at 55.3%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Italy peaked at 55.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 1981.

That places Italy 75th out of 142 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 15.3% 15.3% 15.3% 1
1990s 31.8% 27.6% 37.9% 8
2000s 40.4% 35.4% 44.7% 10
2010s 49.0% 45.5% 52.6% 10
2020s 53.2% 52.4% 55.3% 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 72 Malta 56.2% compare
  2. 73 Egypt 55.7% compare
  3. 74 Spain 55.7% compare
  4. 76 Albania 54.0% compare
  5. 77 Grenada 53.6% compare
  6. 78 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 53.1% compare

See the full ranking of 142 places →

More education data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Italy?
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Italy was 55.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 55.3% in 2023.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 1981.
How does Italy rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
Italy ranks 75th out of 142 countries with data for 2023.
Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy 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 Italy. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-upper-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25/italy/

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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