Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general was 73.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 73.8% for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 96.9% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 65.9%, in 2017.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 182nd of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 96.4% | — |
| 1972 | 96.5% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 96.5% | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 96.9% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 96.7% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 96.4% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 96.1% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 96.1% | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 96.0% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 96.1% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 96.0% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 95.3% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 94.6% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 94.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 92.9% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 93.0% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 91.9% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 91.5% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 91.0% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 90.4% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 89.9% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 88.5% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 81.9% | -7.4% |
| 1994 | 80.6% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 81.3% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 81.3% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 82.6% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 86.0% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 80.5% | -6.4% |
| 2000 | 79.9% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 80.2% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 79.1% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 81.2% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 77.0% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 76.6% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 81.5% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 80.9% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 86.4% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 87.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 86.4% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 90.7% | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 90.0% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 68.4% | -24.0% |
| 2014 | 68.4% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 70.4% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 65.9% | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 68.6% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 70.3% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 72.1% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 73.2% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 73.6% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 73.8% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 96.4% | 96.0% | 96.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 93.7% | 91.0% | 96.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.3% | 80.5% | 90.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.0% | 76.6% | 87.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.4% | 65.9% | 90.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 73.2% | 72.1% | 73.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 73.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 96.9% in 1974.
- What is the lowest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.9% in 2017.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 182nd out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general programmes, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release