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 12.94 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand, 1981–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 12.94 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.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in New Zealand peaked at 12.94 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.49, in 1981.
That places New Zealand 19th out of 121 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 9.49 | — |
| 1991 | 9.98 | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 12.46 | +24.9% |
| 2006 | 12.74 | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 12.64 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 12.67 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 12.51 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 12.5 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 12.63 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 12.94 | +2.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 12.94 is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.41, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 12.94 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.1, 1.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.49 | 9.49 | 9.49 | 1 |
| 1990s | 9.98 | 9.98 | 9.98 | 1 |
| 2000s | 12.6 | 12.46 | 12.74 | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.59 | 12.5 | 12.67 | 5 |
| 2020s | 12.94 | 12.94 | 12.94 | 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 12.94 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 12.94 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 9.49 in 1981.
- How does New Zealand rank for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years?
- New Zealand ranks 19th 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 2.3%. 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, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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