Percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public was 22.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom is 22.6%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 33.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom peaked at 75.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 22.6%, in 2023.
United Kingdom ranks 179th of 182 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 74.1% | — |
| 2000 | 73.8% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 74.1% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 73.0% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 73.5% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 70.9% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 70.2% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 75.0% | +6.8% |
| 2007 | 75.1% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 74.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 72.6% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 70.7% | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 70.6% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 60.6% | -14.1% |
| 2013 | 34.0% | -44.0% |
| 2014 | 30.5% | -10.2% |
| 2015 | 29.2% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 26.0% | -11.0% |
| 2018 | 25.2% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 24.4% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 24.0% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 23.6% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 23.0% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 22.6% | -2.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 22.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 86.3%, 26% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 22.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 92.2%, 24% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | -44.0% | 60.6% | 34.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.1% | 74.1% | 74.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 73.2% | 70.2% | 75.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.2% | 24.4% | 70.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 23.3% | 22.6% | 24.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom?
- Percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public in United Kingdom was 22.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 75.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.6% in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public?
- United Kingdom ranks 179th out of 182 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in secondary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release