UIS · Lower Secondary Completion Rate
Lower secondary completion rate by country
What share of young people finish lower secondary school?
2 countries shared first place of the 164 countries compared in 2025, all at 100.00%, and South Sudan last, at 13.73%. In the middle country the figure was 89.21%. Among the 160 countries measured in every edition since 1981, the middle one moved from 45.95% to 89.54%.
Part ofEducation & Knowledge
Lower secondary completion rate · 2025
Context statistic
2 countries share the highest value, 100.00% — no single country is named first.
012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 164 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
Highest in 2025 · shared
2 countries share the highest reading, 100.00%
No single country is named first: picking one from a shared value would be a choice the data does not make.
Lowest in 2025
- 164
South Sudan13.73% - 163
Central African Republic14.01% - 162
Guinea-Bissau16.46%
Positions out of 164. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Mauritius93.47% - Americas
Barbados99.55% - Asia
2 countries share 100.00%
- Europe
United Kingdom99.90% - Oceania
Australia98.84% - Every region
02Every measured country
Lower secondary completion rate on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 13.73–46.93%
- 47.72–76.43%
- 77.73–94.23%
- 94.44–98.64%
- 98.65–100.00%
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
98.57%
the middle country, of 39 measured · 49 members
United Kingdom99.90%
Netherlands89.22%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
93.39%
the middle country, of 37 measured · 52 members
2 share 100.00%
Afghanistan42.75%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
89.05%
the middle country, of 29 measured · 48 members
Barbados99.55%
Haiti40.60%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
84.82%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 21 members
Australia98.84%
Papua New Guinea36.85%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
43.99%
the middle country, of 50 measured · 55 members
Mauritius93.47%South Sudan13.73%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Europe
99.29%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
United Kingdom99.90%
Estonia97.05%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Central Asia
98.69%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Turkmenistan99.72%
Tajikistan97.27%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Southern Europe
98.01%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Slovenia99.35%
Portugal94.44%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
97.85%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Russia99.65%
Romania93.22%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Caribbean
95.97%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 24 members
Barbados99.55%Haiti40.60%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Western Asia
95.49%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 19 members
Qatar100.00%
Iraq52.32%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Western Europe
92.73%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Switzerland98.89%Netherlands89.22%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- South America
85.63%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Chile98.07%
Suriname61.34%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Asia
85.48%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Maldives97.89%Afghanistan42.75%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
83.12%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 11 members
Malaysia98.70%
Myanmar53.69%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Northern Africa
73.69%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 6 members
Egypt88.73%
Sudan40.80%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Central America
66.33%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Mexico89.46%
Belize45.67%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Southern Africa
59.37%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana93.37%
Lesotho44.08%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Middle Africa
46.53%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe89.62%Central African Republic14.01%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
41.94%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 16 members
Nigeria66.83%Guinea-Bissau16.46%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
33.95%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Mauritius93.47%South Sudan13.73%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
1 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia.
Australia98.84%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Eastern Asia
3 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: China, Mongolia, South Korea.
South Korea100.00%
China94.70%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Melanesia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu.
Fiji95.74%Papua New Guinea36.85%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati, Nauru.
Kiribati81.08%
Nauru70.75%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada99.19%
United States99.03%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
Samoa97.29%
Tuvalu84.82%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
164 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 89.21%; a quarter are above 97.90%, and a quarter below 54.38%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 164 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Because the series is modelled, small differences between neighbouring countries are within the model’s uncertainty; large gaps are real. It moves closely with the primary and upper secondary completion rates, so the three are best read together: the rung where a country loses its pupils is the finding.
Showing 25 of 164 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051981–2025 · 45 editions
Over time
Each point is one year of UNESCO’s modelled series, which combines household surveys with administrative data. Recent years are estimates for countries that have not surveyed lately.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 160 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 164 | 89.21% | 54.38% – 97.90% | 89.54% |
| 2024 | 160 | 89.02% | 54.15% – 97.90% | 89.02% |
| 2023 | 160 | 88.68% | 53.41% – 97.62% | 88.68% |
| 2022 | 160 | 88.14% | 52.65% – 97.39% | 88.14% |
| 2021 | 160 | 87.47% | 51.91% – 97.10% | 87.47% |
| 2020 | 160 | 86.78% | 50.55% – 96.95% | 86.78% |
| 2019 | 160 | 86.29% | 49.49% – 96.85% | 86.29% |
| 2018 | 160 | 85.88% | 48.16% – 96.71% | 85.88% |
| 2017 | 160 | 85.41% | 47.01% – 96.46% | 85.41% |
| 2016 | 160 | 84.83% | 46.15% – 96.27% | 84.83% |
| 2015 | 160 | 83.81% | 45.35% – 96.25% | 83.81% |
| 2014 | 160 | 82.40% | 44.61% – 96.20% | 82.40% |
| 2013 | 160 | 81.42% | 43.39% – 96.14% | 81.42% |
| 2012 | 160 | 80.15% | 41.96% – 96.04% | 80.15% |
| 2011 | 160 | 79.28% | 40.62% – 95.96% | 79.28% |
| 2010 | 160 | 78.38% | 39.82% – 95.93% | 78.38% |
| 2009 | 160 | 77.40% | 39.16% – 95.99% | 77.40% |
| 2008 | 160 | 76.77% | 38.34% – 95.96% | 76.77% |
| 2007 | 160 | 76.05% | 37.14% – 95.87% | 76.05% |
| 2006 | 160 | 74.53% | 35.49% – 95.66% | 74.53% |
| 2005 | 160 | 72.08% | 34.06% – 95.46% | 72.08% |
| 2004 | 160 | 70.54% | 33.09% – 95.34% | 70.54% |
| 2003 | 160 | 69.58% | 32.44% – 95.07% | 69.58% |
| 2002 | 160 | 68.47% | 31.11% – 94.88% | 68.47% |
| 2001 | 160 | 67.30% | 30.11% – 94.73% | 67.30% |
| 2000 | 160 | 66.33% | 28.64% – 94.54% | 66.33% |
| 1999 | 160 | 65.07% | 27.49% – 94.28% | 65.07% |
| 1998 | 160 | 63.25% | 27.30% – 94.03% | 63.25% |
| 1997 | 160 | 61.69% | 26.92% – 93.62% | 61.69% |
| 1996 | 160 | 60.81% | 26.28% – 93.48% | 60.81% |
| 1995 | 160 | 58.82% | 25.81% – 93.59% | 58.82% |
| 1994 | 160 | 58.03% | 25.06% – 93.52% | 58.03% |
| 1993 | 160 | 57.08% | 24.44% – 93.47% | 57.08% |
| 1992 | 160 | 56.07% | 23.99% – 93.34% | 56.07% |
| 1991 | 160 | 54.70% | 23.29% – 93.26% | 54.70% |
| 1990 | 160 | 53.16% | 22.32% – 93.21% | 53.16% |
| 1989 | 164 | 50.88% | 21.72% – 92.95% | 52.51% |
| 1988 | 164 | 49.82% | 21.14% – 92.80% | 51.59% |
| 1987 | 164 | 49.51% | 20.44% – 92.64% | 50.47% |
| 1986 | 164 | 49.03% | 19.79% – 92.52% | 49.32% |
| 1985 | 164 | 47.90% | 19.19% – 92.39% | 48.48% |
| 1984 | 164 | 46.97% | 18.76% – 92.20% | 47.68% |
| 1983 | 164 | 46.58% | 18.27% – 92.02% | 47.13% |
| 1982 | 164 | 45.97% | 17.48% – 91.85% | 46.56% |
| 1981 | 164 | 44.84% | 16.69% – 91.60% | 45.95% |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Niger36.32% → 38.25% · 143rd → 147th+1.93
Burkina Faso42.13% → 43.89% · 134th → 137th+1.76
Cambodia59.03% → 60.77% · 113th → 113th+1.74
Senegal37.07% → 38.63% · 142nd → 145th+1.56
Burundi32.29% → 33.69% · 147th → 151st+1.40
Declined most
before → afterNo country moved this way.
160 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025. The field changed from 160 to 164 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Lower secondary completion rate in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
Reached 12 times by 2 countries — shared, so no holder is named
100.00%
Lower secondary completion rate (%)
UIS · 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Lowest reading on record
1.28%
Lower secondary completion rate (%)
Biggest improvement between editions
+6.31
55.58% → 61.89%
Biggest decline between editions
−3.34
66.26% → 62.92%
Most improved since first measured
+95.53
2.36% → 97.89%
At the top most often
44 of 45
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08By sex
Inside the number
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) also publishes separate female and male readings. The gap between them, where both exist.
Of the 164 countries with both readings, the female reading is higher in 129, the male reading in 33, and they are equal in 2. The widest gaps each way:
09The measure
About lower secondary completion rate
The lower secondary completion rate is the share of young people who have finished lower secondary school, measured a few years after the age they should have. It is the middle rung of the schooling ladder, between finishing primary and finishing upper secondary.
What the number is: Lower secondary completion rate (%).
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Education & Knowledge, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where lower secondary completion rate is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Primary Completion RateUIS · 164 countries in commonρ 0.93
- Upper Secondary Completion RateKeyUIS · 164 countries in commonρ 0.91
- Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 154 countries in commonρ 0.87
Moves against
Where lower secondary completion rate is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 101 countries in commonρ −0.87
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 155 countries in commonρ −0.86
- Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 154 countries in commonρ −0.85
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 306 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
More from UIS
12Questions
Lower secondary completion rate: questions and answers
Which country has the highest lower secondary completion rate?
2 countries share the highest reading, 100.00%, among the 164 compared in 2025, so no single country is named.
Which country has the lowest lower secondary completion rate?
South Sudan, at 13.73%, among the 164 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Lower Secondary Completion Rate cover?
164 in 2025. The number measured varies from 160 to 164 between editions.
What is the world average lower secondary completion rate?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 164 compared in 2025, the figure was 89.21%.
Is this UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)’s own ranking?
No. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Lower Secondary Completion Rate published?
This site holds 45 editions, describing 1981 to 2025.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics modelled completion series (CR.MOD.2). Female and male rates are stored beside the headline. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Lower Secondary Completion Rate — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics modelled completion series (CR.MOD.2). Female and male rates are stored beside the headline.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. UIS Data Browser. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Lower secondary completion rate by country: Lower Secondary Completion Rate, data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/lower-secondary-completion