Average years of schooling in Australia
Australia: Average years of schooling was 12.73 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
12.73 years
World rank
22nd
of 162 countries
All-time high
13.18 years
in 2015
All-time low
3.06 years
in 1870
Years of data
24
1870–2020
Average years of schooling in Australia, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Australia recorded 12.73 years for average years of schooling in 2020.
The figure is down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Australia peaked at 13.18 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.06 years, in 1870.
That places Australia 22nd out of 162 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Average years of schooling in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3.06 years | — |
| 1880 | 4.15 years | +35.6% |
| 1890 | 5.28 years | +27.2% |
| 1900 | 6.25 years | +18.4% |
| 1913 | 7.06 years | +13.0% |
| 1925 | 7.94 years | +12.5% |
| 1929 | 8.38 years | +5.5% |
| 1933 | 8.7 years | +3.9% |
| 1938 | 8.93 years | +2.6% |
| 1950 | 9.45 years | +5.8% |
| 1955 | 9.73 years | +2.9% |
| 1960 | 10.04 years | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 10.14 years | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 10.67 years | +5.2% |
| 1975 | 11.39 years | +6.7% |
| 1980 | 11.95 years | +5.0% |
| 1985 | 12.35 years | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 12.73 years | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 12.95 years | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 12.99 years | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 13.15 years | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 13.14 years | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 13.18 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 12.73 years | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3.06 years | 3.06 years | 3.06 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 4.15 years | 4.15 years | 4.15 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 5.28 years | 5.28 years | 5.28 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 6.25 years | 6.25 years | 6.25 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 7.06 years | 7.06 years | 7.06 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 8.16 years | 7.94 years | 8.38 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 8.82 years | 8.7 years | 8.93 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 9.59 years | 9.45 years | 9.73 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 10.09 years | 10.04 years | 10.14 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 11.03 years | 10.67 years | 11.39 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 12.15 years | 11.95 years | 12.35 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.84 years | 12.73 years | 12.95 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.07 years | 12.99 years | 13.15 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.16 years | 13.14 years | 13.18 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.73 years | 12.73 years | 12.73 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in Australia?
- Average years of schooling in Australia was 12.73 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.18 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.06 years in 1870.
- How does Australia rank for average years of schooling?
- Australia ranks 22nd out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.