Share of children who have completed primary school in Australia
Australia: Share of children who have completed primary school was 99.5% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of children who have completed primary school in Australia, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 99.5% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Australia peaked at 99.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 98.6%, in 1981.
That places Australia 40th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 98.6% | — |
| 1982 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 99.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.6%, 100% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Australia's 99.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 98.6%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 98.7% | 98.6% | 98.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 98.9% | 98.8% | 99.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 99.2% | 99.1% | 99.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.3% | 99.3% | 99.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.5% | 99.4% | 99.5% | 6 |
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 of children who have completed primary school in Australia?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Australia was 99.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 98.6% in 1981.
- How does Australia rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Australia ranks 40th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. 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 Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.