Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Australia
Australia: Theoretical duration of lower secondary education was 4 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 215 countries
All-time high
4 years
in 1993
All-time low
3 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Australia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Australia is 4 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Australia peaked at 4 years in 1993 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 1970.
Australia ranks 17th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1994 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7 years | 3 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 17 Albania 4 years compare
- 17 Andorra 4 years compare
- 17 United Arab Emirates 4 years compare
- 17 American Samoa 4 years compare
- 17 Austria 4 years compare
- 17 Benin 4 years compare
- 17 Burkina Faso 4 years compare
- 17 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 years compare
- 17 Belize 4 years compare
- 17 Brazil 4 years compare
- 17 Bhutan 4 years compare
- 17 Central African Republic 4 years compare
- 17 Côte d'Ivoire 4 years compare
- 17 Cameroon 4 years compare
- 17 Congo 4 years compare
- 17 Colombia 4 years compare
- 17 Comoros 4 years compare
- 17 Curaçao 4 years compare
- 17 Czechia 4 years compare
- 17 Djibouti 4 years compare
- 17 Algeria 4 years compare
- 17 Ethiopia 4 years compare
- 17 Fiji 4 years compare
- 17 France 4 years compare
- 17 Gabon 4 years compare
- 17 Guinea 4 years compare
- 17 Guadeloupe 4 years compare
- 17 Equatorial Guinea 4 years compare
- 17 French Guiana 4 years compare
- 17 Croatia 4 years compare
- 17 Hungary 4 years compare
- 17 Jordan 4 years compare
- 17 Kuwait 4 years compare
- 17 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4 years compare
- 17 Liechtenstein 4 years compare
- 17 Sri Lanka 4 years compare
- 17 Monaco 4 years compare
- 17 Madagascar 4 years compare
- 17 Maldives 4 years compare
- 17 North Macedonia 4 years compare
- 17 Myanmar 4 years compare
- 17 Montenegro 4 years compare
- 17 Mongolia 4 years compare
- 17 Mauritania 4 years compare
- 17 Martinique 4 years compare
- 17 Malawi 4 years compare
- 17 New Caledonia 4 years compare
- 17 Niger 4 years compare
- 17 Naoero 4 years compare
- 17 New Zealand 4 years compare
- 17 Philippines 4 years compare
- 17 Papua New Guinea 4 years compare
- 17 Poland 4 years compare
- 17 French Polynesia 4 years compare
- 17 Réunion 4 years compare
- 17 Romania 4 years compare
- 17 Senegal 4 years compare
- 17 Somalia 4 years compare
- 17 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 4 years compare
- 17 Serbia 4 years compare
- 17 Suriname 4 years compare
- 17 Chad 4 years compare
- 17 Togo 4 years compare
- 17 Tonga 4 years compare
- 17 Türkiye 4 years compare
- 17 Tuvalu 4 years compare
- 17 Tanzania, United Republic of 4 years compare
- 17 Uganda 4 years compare
- 17 Viet Nam 4 years compare
- 17 Vanuatu 4 years compare
More education data for Australia
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 105,469 (1999)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Australia?
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in Australia was 4 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of lower secondary education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4 years in 1993.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of lower secondary education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 1970.
- How does Australia rank for theoretical duration of lower secondary education?
- Australia ranks 17th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of lower secondary education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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, published as part of Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release