Lower secondary completion rate, total in World

World: Lower secondary completion rate, total was 77.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
77.9%
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
23rd
of 43 groups
All-time high
77.9%
in 2024
All-time low
57.1%
in 1989
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Lower secondary completion rate, total in World, 1989–2024

0204060801989200620241989: 57.1 % of relevant age group1990: 57.1 % of relevant age group1991: 57.4 % of relevant age group1992: 58.3 % of relevant age group1993: 58.7 % of relevant age group1994: 58.3 % of relevant age group1995: 58.6 % of relevant age group1996: 58.8 % of relevant age group1997: 59.5 % of relevant age group1998: 60.2 % of relevant age group1999: 61.3 % of relevant age group2000: 62.5 % of relevant age group2001: 64 % of relevant age group2002: 65.9 % of relevant age group2003: 67.7 % of relevant age group2004: 69 % of relevant age group2005: 70.4 % of relevant age group2006: 70.5 % of relevant age group2007: 71.6 % of relevant age group2008: 72.2 % of relevant age group2009: 72.8 % of relevant age group2010: 73.7 % of relevant age group2011: 74.6 % of relevant age group2012: 74.9 % of relevant age group2013: 74.5 % of relevant age group2014: 74.7 % of relevant age group2015: 74.8 % of relevant age group2016: 75.6 % of relevant age group2017: 75.3 % of relevant age group2018: 75.3 % of relevant age group2019: 75.9 % of relevant age group2020: 77.2 % of relevant age group2021: 77.8 % of relevant age group2022: 77.8 % of relevant age group2023: 77.4 % of relevant age group2024: 77.9 % of relevant age group

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.

Analysis

In 2024, lower secondary completion rate, total in World stood at 77.9%. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lower secondary completion rate, total in World peaked at 77.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 57.1%, in 1989.

World ranks 23rd of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Lower secondary completion rate, total in World, year by year

Annual values for Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in World, 1989 to 2024.
Year % of relevant age group Change
1989 57.1%
1990 57.1% +0.1%
1991 57.4% +0.5%
1992 58.3% +1.6%
1993 58.7% +0.6%
1994 58.3% -0.7%
1995 58.6% +0.4%
1996 58.8% +0.4%
1997 59.5% +1.1%
1998 60.2% +1.3%
1999 61.3% +1.7%
2000 62.5% +2.0%
2001 64.0% +2.4%
2002 65.9% +3.1%
2003 67.7% +2.6%
2004 69.0% +2.1%
2005 70.4% +2.0%
2006 70.5% +0.1%
2007 71.6% +1.6%
2008 72.2% +0.8%
2009 72.8% +0.8%
2010 73.7% +1.2%
2011 74.6% +1.3%
2012 74.9% +0.4%
2013 74.5% -0.6%
2014 74.7% +0.3%
2015 74.8% +0.1%
2016 75.6% +1.1%
2017 75.3% -0.5%
2018 75.3% +0.1%
2019 75.9% +0.7%
2020 77.2% +1.8%
2021 77.8% +0.8%
2022 77.8% -0.0%
2023 77.4% -0.6%
2024 77.9% +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 57.1% 57.1% 57.1% 1
1990s 58.8% 57.1% 61.3% 10
2000s 68.7% 62.5% 72.8% 10
2010s 74.9% 73.7% 75.9% 10
2020s 77.6% 77.2% 77.9% 5

Countries ranked near World

  1. 20 Cyprus 101.1% compare
  2. 21 Belarus 100.8% compare
  3. 22 Ireland 100.8% compare
  4. 23 Portugal 100.6% compare
  5. 24 Croatia 100.1% compare
  6. 25 Luxembourg 99.9% compare
  7. 26 Bahrain 99.8% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More education data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is lower secondary completion rate, total in World?
Lower secondary completion rate, total in World was 77.9% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest lower secondary completion rate, total recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 77.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest lower secondary completion rate, total recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 57.1% in 1989.
How does World rank for lower secondary completion rate, total?
World ranks 23rd out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
Is lower secondary completion rate, total rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Lower secondary completion rate, total in World. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/lower-secondary-completion-rate-total-percent-of-relevant-age-group/world/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/lower-secondary-completion-rate-total-percent-of-relevant-age-group/world/">Lower secondary completion rate, total in World</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)
Unit
% of relevant age group
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
232 places, 5,918 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.