Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in World
World: Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) was 77.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary completion rate, total in World, 1989–2024
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 25th of 45 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 (% of relevant age group) in World, year by year
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More education data for World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 651.68 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 780.85 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, per capita 0.08 units per person (2024)
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 25th out of 45 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).
About this data
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.