Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand
New Zealand: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or was 75.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
75.1%
World rank
48th
of 142 countries
All-time high
75.1%
in 2020
All-time low
46.9%
in 1991
Years of data
9
1991–2020
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand, 1991–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand stood at 75.1%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand peaked at 75.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 46.9%, in 1991.
New Zealand ranks 48th of 142 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 46.9% | — |
| 2001 | 71.2% | +51.9% |
| 2006 | 72.8% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 68.0% | -6.6% |
| 2012 | 68.8% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 69.5% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 69.7% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 70.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 75.1% | +7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.9% | 46.9% | 46.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 72.0% | 71.2% | 72.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 69.2% | 68.0% | 70.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 75.1% | 75.1% | 75.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 45 United Arab Emirates 76.9% compare
- 46 Saudi Arabia 76.0% compare
- 47 Moldova 75.3% compare
- 49 Belgium 74.4% compare
- 50 Netherlands 74.1% compare
- 51 Romania 72.8% compare
More education data for New Zealand
- 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)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 26,597 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (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 75.1% 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 75.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.9% in 1991.
- How does New Zealand rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- New Zealand ranks 48th out of 142 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 10.5%. 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, both sexes (%). 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