Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public was 27.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 27.1% for percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 43.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 94.2% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 27.1%, in 2023.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 190th of 194 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 93.3% | — |
| 1999 | 93.4% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 93.6% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 93.5% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 93.4% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 93.2% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 93.6% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 93.3% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 93.7% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 94.2% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 88.8% | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 85.1% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 83.0% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 77.2% | -7.0% |
| 2012 | 60.8% | -21.2% |
| 2013 | 47.7% | -21.6% |
| 2014 | 43.1% | -9.7% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 33.6% | -17.6% |
| 2018 | 32.0% | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 30.2% | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 29.6% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 29.0% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 28.0% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 27.1% | -3.1% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 27.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 87.9%, 31% of the median. (73 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 27.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 94.1%, 29% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.4% | 93.3% | 93.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 92.2% | 85.1% | 94.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.8% | 30.2% | 83.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 28.4% | 27.1% | 29.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 27.1% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 94.2% in 2007.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.1% in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 190th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release