Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both was 80.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
80.5%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
35th
of 142 countries
All-time high
87.7%
in 2012
All-time low
74.0%
in 2013
Years of data
9
2009–2021
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom, 2009–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 80.5% for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in 2021.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom peaked at 87.7% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 74.0%, in 2013.
That places United Kingdom 35th out of 142 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 84.7% | — |
| 2010 | 86.4% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 86.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 87.7% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 74.0% | -15.7% |
| 2014 | 74.7% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 77.1% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 79.9% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 80.5% | +0.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 80.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 79.5%, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 80.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81.4%, 99% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 84.7% | 84.7% | 84.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 81.0% | 74.0% | 87.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 80.2% | 79.9% | 80.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in United Kingdom was 80.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2012.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.0% in 2013.
- How does United Kingdom rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- United Kingdom ranks 35th out of 142 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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