Inequality in education in Australia
Australia: Inequality in education was 0.0431 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in education in Australia, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 0.0431 for inequality in education in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in Australia peaked at 0.0593 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0431, in 2018.
Australia ranks 145th of 184 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0593 | — |
| 2011 | 0.0593 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.0593 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0593 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0511 | -13.8% |
| 2015 | 0.0511 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.045 | -12.0% |
| 2017 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0431 | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0431 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0431 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0431 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0431 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0431 | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.0431 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0476, 90% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.0431 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0988, 44% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0516 | 0.0431 | 0.0593 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0431 | 0.0431 | 0.0431 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 142 Netherlands 0.0465 compare
- 143 Bulgaria 0.0433 compare
- 144 Tonga 0.0431 compare
- 146 Azerbaijan 0.0428 compare
- 147 San Marino 0.0414 compare
- 148 Serbia 0.0411 compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in education in Australia?
- Inequality in education in Australia was 0.0431 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0593 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0431 in 2018.
- How does Australia rank for inequality in education?
- Australia ranks 145th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.