Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand

New Zealand: Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education was 85.6% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
85.6%
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
12th
of 47 countries
All-time high
92.2%
in 2009
All-time low
85.6%
in 2018
Years of data
7
2000–2018

Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand, 2000–2018

0204060801002000200920182000: 91.7 %2003: 88.9 %2006: 90.2 %2009: 92.2 %2012: 88.7 %2015: 87.6 %2018: 85.6 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand stood at 85.6%. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand peaked at 92.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 85.6%, in 2018.

That places New Zealand 12th out of 47 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading, female (%) in New Zealand, 2000 to 2018.
Year % Change
2000 91.7%
2003 88.9% -3.0%
2006 90.2% +1.5%
2009 92.2% +2.2%
2012 88.7% -3.8%
2015 87.6% -1.2%
2018 85.6% -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 90.7% 88.9% 92.2% 4
2010s 87.3% 85.6% 88.7% 3

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 9 Norway 87.8% compare
  2. 10 Spain 87.2% compare
  3. 11 Sweden 86.4% compare
  4. 13 Australia 85.3% compare
  5. 14 Czechia 85.0% compare
  6. 15 Croatia 85.0% compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand?
Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand was 85.6% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 92.2% in 2009.
What is the lowest proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 85.6% in 2018.
How does New Zealand rank for proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education?
New Zealand ranks 12th out of 47 countries with data for 2018.
Is proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-students-at-the-end-of-lower-secondary-education-achieving-at-least-a-15/new-zealand/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-students-at-the-end-of-lower-secondary-education-achieving-at-least-a-15/new-zealand/">Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education in New Zealand</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of students at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
47 places, 302 data points, 2000–2018
Last refreshed

Percentage of children at the end of lower secondary education reaching at least a minimum proficiency level in reading. 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/