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 2.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.5%
Change on year
down 19.6%
World rank
22nd
of 43 countries
All-time high
3.2%
in 2023
All-time low
2.1%
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 2.5%.
The figure is down 19.6% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
That places Australia 22nd out of 43 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | 2.1% | — |
| 2019 | 2.4% | +13.4% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | +8.0% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | +16.6% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | -19.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 2.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.0%, 51% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 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 2.5% 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 3.2% 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 2.1% in 2018.
- How does Australia rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Australia ranks 22nd out of 43 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 18.3%. 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, male (%). 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