Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia

Australia: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 4.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
4.8%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
51st
of 123 countries
All-time high
7.3%
in 1999
All-time low
4.2%
in 2011
Years of data
20
1999–2023

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia, 1999–2023

024681999201120231999: 7.3 %2000: 6.7 %2002: 4.7 %2003: 5 %2005: 5.1 %2006: 5 %2007: 4.9 %2008: 4.8 %2009: 4.5 %2011: 4.2 %2013: 4.5 %2014: 4.6 %2015: 6.1 %2017: 6 %2018: 5 %2019: 4.8 %2020: 4.7 %2021: 4.9 %2022: 4.8 %2023: 4.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia stood at 4.8%.

That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia peaked at 7.3% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2011.

Australia ranks 51st of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics programmes, both sexes (%) in Australia, 1999 to 2023.
Year % Change
1999 7.3%
2000 6.7% -7.2%
2002 4.7% -29.5%
2003 5.0% +4.7%
2005 5.1% +2.6%
2006 5.0% -1.1%
2007 4.9% -2.1%
2008 4.8% -2.5%
2009 4.5% -6.7%
2011 4.2% -5.4%
2013 4.5% +5.7%
2014 4.6% +2.1%
2015 6.1% +33.9%
2017 6.0% -1.7%
2018 5.0% -17.1%
2019 4.8% -4.8%
2020 4.7% -1.7%
2021 4.9% +4.1%
2022 4.8% -2.0%
2023 4.8% +1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.3% 7.3% 7.3% 1
2000s 5.1% 4.5% 6.7% 8
2010s 5.0% 4.2% 6.1% 7
2020s 4.8% 4.7% 4.9% 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 48 Eritrea 5.2% compare
  2. 49 Singapore 5.0% compare
  3. 50 Iceland 5.0% compare
  4. 52 Serbia 4.8% compare
  5. 53 South Korea 4.8% compare
  6. 54 Slovakia 4.7% compare

See the full ranking of 123 places →

More education data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia?
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia was 4.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 1999.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2011.
How does Australia rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
Australia ranks 51st out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-tertiary-education-graduating-from-natural-sciences-2/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics programmes, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
123 places, 1,738 data points, 1998–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release