Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in Australia

Australia: Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and was 17.4% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
17.4%
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
75th
of 98 countries
All-time high
22.9%
in 2002
All-time low
16.7%
in 2011
Years of data
15
1999–2018

Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in Australia, 1999–2018

05101520251999200820181999: 20.8 %2000: 20.3 %2002: 22.9 %2003: 22.6 %2005: 22.2 %2006: 20.3 %2007: 19.1 %2008: 18.3 %2009: 17.3 %2011: 16.7 %2013: 17 %2014: 17.6 %2015: 17.6 %2017: 18.4 %2018: 17.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Australia recorded 17.4% for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in 2018.

The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in Australia peaked at 22.9% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 2011.

Australia ranks 75th of 98 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, both sexes (%) in Australia, 1999 to 2018.
Year % Change
1999 20.8% —
2000 20.3% -2.6%
2002 22.9% +13.0%
2003 22.6% -1.6%
2005 22.2% -1.8%
2006 20.3% -8.4%
2007 19.1% -6.1%
2008 18.3% -3.9%
2009 17.3% -5.8%
2011 16.7% -3.5%
2013 17.0% +2.0%
2014 17.6% +3.3%
2015 17.6% +0.4%
2017 18.4% +4.5%
2018 17.4% -5.6%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 17.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 22.2%, 79% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 17.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22.7%, 77% of the median. (11 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 20.8% 20.8% 20.8% 1
2000s 20.4% 17.3% 22.9% 8
2010s 17.5% 16.7% 18.4% 6

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 72 United States 17.9% compare
  2. 73 Uruguay 17.5% compare
  3. 74 Netherlands 17.5% compare
  4. 76 Armenia 17.1% compare
  5. 77 Belgium 17.0% compare
  6. 78 Ghana 16.4%

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in Australia?
Percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and in Australia was 17.4% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 22.9% in 2002.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 2011.
How does Australia rank for percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and?
Australia ranks 75th out of 98 countries with data for 2018.
Is percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-programmes-in/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes in tertiary education, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,157 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Share of all tertiary graduates who completed Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the reference year.