Share of the population with lower secondary education in Australia
Australia: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 93.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Australia, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population with lower secondary education in Australia stood at 93.2%.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Australia peaked at 100.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 69.8%, in 1971.
That places Australia 33rd out of 135 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 69.8% | — |
| 2001 | 100.0% | +43.3% |
| 2002 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 89.7% | -10.3% |
| 2005 | 90.9% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 91.1% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 91.7% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 92.3% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 92.2% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 93.2% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 93.6% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 94.4% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 91.1% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 91.8% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 92.6% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 92.8% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 93.0% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 93.4% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 93.9% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 94.5% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 94.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 95.0% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 92.9% | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 93.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 69.8% | 69.8% | 69.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 93.5% | 89.7% | 100.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 93.0% | 91.1% | 94.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.0% | 92.9% | 95.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.4191 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 105,469 (1999)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.8279 % change on previous year (1999)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.26 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.579 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.2746 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 609,231 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.75 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Australia?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Australia was 93.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.8% in 1971.
- How does Australia rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Australia ranks 33rd out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.