Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in New Zealand
New Zealand: Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher was 51.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in New Zealand, 1981–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 51.1% for share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in 2020. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in New Zealand peaked at 51.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 30.4%, in 1981.
New Zealand ranks 13th of 110 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 30.4% | — |
| 1991 | 39.1% | +28.7% |
| 2001 | 34.9% | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 42.4% | +21.4% |
| 2011 | 48.1% | +13.4% |
| 2012 | 47.0% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 45.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 44.1% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 46.1% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 51.1% | +10.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 30.4% | 30.4% | 30.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 39.1% | 39.1% | 39.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.7% | 34.9% | 42.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 46.2% | 44.1% | 48.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 51.1% | 51.1% | 51.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 186,396 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.9363 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0352 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 196,622 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0372 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 562,417 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 4.1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 26,597 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.0527 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in New Zealand?
- Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in New Zealand was 51.1% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with post-secondary education or higher recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 51.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with post-secondary education or higher recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.4% in 1981.
- How does New Zealand rank for share of the population with post-secondary education or higher?
- New Zealand ranks 13th out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with post-secondary education or higher rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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 the population with post-secondary education or higher. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed post-secondary or tertiary education.