Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand
New Zealand: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years was 0.9986 GPIA in 2020. ▲ Rising
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand, 1981–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 0.9986 GPIA for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in 2020. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand peaked at 0.9986 GPIA in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.9203 GPIA, in 1991.
That places New Zealand 52nd out of 121 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.9649 GPIA | — |
| 1991 | 0.9203 GPIA | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 0.9953 GPIA | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 0.9958 GPIA | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.9908 GPIA | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9939 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9833 GPIA | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.9874 GPIA | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.9893 GPIA | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.9986 GPIA | +0.9% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 0.9986 GPIA is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.01 GPIA, 99% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 0.9986 GPIA is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9598 GPIA, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.9649 GPIA | 0.9649 GPIA | 0.9649 GPIA | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.9203 GPIA | 0.9203 GPIA | 0.9203 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9956 GPIA | 0.9953 GPIA | 0.9958 GPIA | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.9889 GPIA | 0.9833 GPIA | 0.9939 GPIA | 5 |
| 2020s | 0.9986 GPIA | 0.9986 GPIA | 0.9986 GPIA | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36,426 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,020 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 56,552 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 562,417 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 383,018 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0724 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand?
- Mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand was 0.9986 GPIA in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9986 GPIA in 2020.
- What is the lowest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9203 GPIA in 1991.
- How does New Zealand rank for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years?
- New Zealand ranks 52nd out of 121 countries with data for 2020.
- Is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. 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 Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release