Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy
Italy: Share of the population with at least some secondary education was 84.36 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy, 1971–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy stood at 84.36. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy peaked at 84.36 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 20.12, in 1971.
Italy ranks 56th of 135 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 20.12 | — |
| 1981 | 33.3 | +65.5% |
| 2001 | 64.42 | +93.5% |
| 2005 | 68.76 | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 69.97 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 70.88 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 71.91 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 72.85 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 73.83 | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 74.77 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 75.68 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 77.07 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 77.62 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 78.46 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 80.14 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 80.99 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 81.92 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 82.8 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 82.19 | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 82.46 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 82.86 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 84.36 | +1.8% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 84.36 is below the median for high income countries, which is 91.64, 92% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Italy's 84.36 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 95.43, 88% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +93.5% | 33.3 | 64.42 |
| 1981 | +65.5% | 20.12 | 33.3 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.12 | 20.12 | 20.12 | 1 |
| 1980s | 33.3 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 1 |
| 2000s | 69.8 | 64.42 | 72.85 | 6 |
| 2010s | 78.33 | 73.83 | 82.8 | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.97 | 82.19 | 84.36 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.84 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.94 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy?
- Share of the population with at least some secondary education in Italy was 84.36 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some secondary education recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 84.36 in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some secondary education recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.12 in 1971.
- How does Italy rank for share of the population with at least some secondary education?
- Italy ranks 56th out of 135 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population with at least some secondary education rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).