Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Australia
Australia: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 99.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Australia, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 99.6% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Australia peaked at 105.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 99.1%, in 2022.
That places Australia 121st out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 101.6% | — |
| 2001 | 101.4% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 102.5% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 102.9% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 103.3% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 103.4% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 103.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 105.4% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 105.2% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 105.2% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 105.5% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 105.3% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 105.7% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 105.8% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 105.5% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 101.7% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 101.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 100.6% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 100.4% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 100.2% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 99.9% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.1% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 99.6% | +0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 99.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 100% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 99.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 100.7%, 99% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 103.5% | 101.4% | 105.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 103.2% | 100.2% | 105.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.6% | 99.1% | 99.9% | 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Australia?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Australia was 99.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 105.8% in 2013.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 99.1% in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Australia ranks 121st out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.