Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Australia
Australia: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 3.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.6%
Change on year
down 6.6%
World rank
21st
of 49 countries
All-time high
3.8%
in 2023
All-time low
3.0%
in 2018
Years of data
7
2018–2024
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Australia, 2018–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Australia stood at 3.6%.
The figure is down 6.6% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.
Australia ranks 21st of 49 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3.0% | — |
| 2019 | 3.4% | +15.5% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | +10.7% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | +9.0% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | -6.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 3.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.7%, 96% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Australia's 3.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2%, 17.3× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Australia?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Australia was 3.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2018.
- How does Australia rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Australia ranks 21st out of 49 countries with data for 2024.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 55-64 years old, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release