Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in mathematics, rural areas, both sexes (%) by country

Percentage of children at the end of lower secondary education reaching at least a minimum proficiency level in mathematics. A minimum proficiency level (MPL) is the benchmark of basic knowledge in a domain (mathematics, reading, etc.) measured through learning assessments. The indicator is calculated as the number...

Countries reporting
39
Highest
86.6%
Denmark
Lowest
3.9%
Morocco
Median
64.2%
Years covered
24
1995–2018
Data points
219

What the numbers show

Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in mathematics, rural areas, both sexes (%) is currently reported for 39 countries. The highest value is 86.6% in Denmark; the lowest is 3.9% in Morocco.

The median across all reporting countries is 64.2%, and the mean is 55.9%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 22.

Over the past decade 11 countries rose and 28 fell. The largest increase was in Chile (up 1,209.5%), and the largest decrease in Morocco (down 70.1%).

Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Denmark 86.6% 2018 up 3.8% flat
2 Ireland 84.1% 2018 up 8.2% flat
3 Finland 84.0% 2018 down 8.2% falling
4 Republic of Korea 83.3% 2012 up 7.8% flat
5 Sweden 82.5% 2018 up 6.5% falling
6 Netherlands 81.2% 2012 down 9.2% falling
7 Poland 80.6% 2018 up 5.4% rising
8 Belgium 80.1% 2012 down 7.6% flat
9 Norway 79.0% 2018 down 1.6% flat
10 Canada 78.3% 2018 down 9.3% falling
11 Germany 77.6% 2012 down 7.0% flat
12 Austria 75.7% 2018 up 0.9% falling
13 Spain 74.7% 2018 up 3.5% flat
14 Iceland 74.4% 2018 down 9.1% falling
15 Latvia 73.0% 2018 down 0.0% rising
16 Russian Federation 69.5% 2018 up 7.4% rising
17 Luxembourg 67.9% 2012 down 7.5% rising
18 New Zealand 67.4% 2018 down 19.3% falling
19 Czechia 67.4% 2018 down 6.4% falling
20 United States 64.2% 2018 down 17.1% falling
21 Australia 63.4% 2018 down 18.8% falling
22 Israel 60.5% 2018 up 12.5% rising
23 Italy 60.5% 2015 down 12.1% falling
24 Slovakia 57.1% 2018 down 20.2% falling
25 Greece 50.5% 2018 down 28.3% falling
26 Hungary 50.0% 2015 down 24.0% falling
27 Türkiye 47.4% 2015 up 160.0% volatile
28 Portugal 45.2% 2018 down 34.7% falling
29 Uruguay 37.6% 2018 down 8.9% falling
30 Thailand 36.5% 2018 down 3.3% falling
31 Bulgaria 26.1% 2018 down 30.2% falling
32 Mexico 21.2% 2018 down 32.4% rising
33 Chile 20.7% 2015 up 1,209.5% volatile
34 Romania 20.4% 2018 down 54.5% falling
35 Indonesia 16.7% 2018 down 2.0% falling
36 Brazil 12.1% 2018 down 25.8% rising
37 Argentina 9.9% 2018 down 44.2% falling
38 Iran 8.2% 2015 down 1.4% falling
39 Morocco 3.9% 2015 down 70.1% volatile

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Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education by country. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-students-at-the-end-of-lower-secondary-education-achieving-at-least-a-12/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in mathematics, rural areas, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
39 places, 219 data points, 1995–2018
Last refreshed

Percentage of children at the end of lower secondary education reaching at least a minimum proficiency level in mathematics. A minimum proficiency level (MPL) is the benchmark of basic knowledge in a domain (mathematics, reading, etc.) measured through learning assessments. The indicator is calculated as the number of children and/or young people at the relevant stage of education n in a given year t achieving or exceeding the pre-defined proficiency level in a given subject s, expressed as a percentage of the total number of children and/or young people at stage of education n, in year t, in any proficiency level in subject s. The higher the value of the indicator, the higher the proportion of children or young adults who have acquired the minimum level of meaningful competencies. Data are calculated by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from sources that include the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Programme for International Student Assessment for Development (PISA-D), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), El Laboratorio Latino americano de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación (LLECE), Programme d’analyse des systèmes éducatifs de la confemen (PASEC), Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ), Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA), national assessments data collected through the Catalogue of Learning Assessments (CLA) and/or available in national reports, and population-based assessments (Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA), UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), People’s Action for Learning (PAL) NETWORK: e.g. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), UWEZO, etc.)). For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute for Statistics: http://uis.unesco.org/