Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Australia
Australia: Share in poverty vs. educational attainment was 12.77 years in 2040. ▲ Rising
Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Australia, 1980–2040
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2040, share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Australia stood at 12.77 years.
That represents a change of down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Australia peaked at 12.93 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.37 years, in 2000.
That places Australia 22nd out of 146 countries with data for 2040, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.4 years | — |
| 1985 | 11.43 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 11.44 years | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 11.51 years | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 11.37 years | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 11.71 years | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 11.69 years | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 12.92 years | +10.5% |
| 2020 | 12.93 years | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 12.89 years | -0.3% |
| 2030 | 12.85 years | -0.3% |
| 2035 | 12.81 years | -0.3% |
| 2040 | 12.77 years | -0.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 12.77 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.2 years, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Australia's 12.77 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.39 years, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.41 years | 11.4 years | 11.43 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 11.47 years | 11.44 years | 11.51 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.54 years | 11.37 years | 11.71 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.3 years | 11.69 years | 12.92 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.91 years | 12.89 years | 12.93 years | 2 |
| 2030s | 12.83 years | 12.81 years | 12.85 years | 2 |
| 2040s | 12.77 years | 12.77 years | 12.77 years | 1 |
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 share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Australia?
- Share in poverty vs. educational attainment in Australia was 12.77 years in 2040, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.93 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest share in poverty vs. educational attainment recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.37 years in 2000.
- How does Australia rank for share in poverty vs. educational attainment?
- Australia ranks 22nd out of 146 countries with data for 2040.
- Is share in poverty vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share in poverty vs. educational attainment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.