Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members

OECD members: Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general was 68.9% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
68.9%
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
33rd
of 43 groups
All-time high
71.5%
in 2012
All-time low
59.9%
in 1997
Years of data
23
1997–2019

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members, 1997–2019

0204060801997200820191997: 59.9 %1998: 65.4 %1999: 65 %2000: 67.6 %2001: 68.5 %2002: 69.1 %2003: 70.1 %2004: 68.2 %2005: 68.8 %2006: 70.4 %2007: 70.7 %2008: 71 %2009: 71.1 %2010: 70.8 %2011: 71.5 %2012: 71.5 %2013: 67.7 %2014: 67.9 %2015: 68.1 %2016: 68.4 %2017: 68.6 %2018: 69.3 %2019: 68.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members is 68.9%, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members peaked at 71.5% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 59.9%, in 1997.

OECD members ranks 33rd of 43 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members, year by year

Annual values for Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%) in OECD members, 1997 to 2019.
Year % Change
1997 59.9%
1998 65.4% +9.2%
1999 65.0% -0.6%
2000 67.6% +4.0%
2001 68.5% +1.3%
2002 69.1% +0.8%
2003 70.1% +1.5%
2004 68.2% -2.8%
2005 68.8% +0.9%
2006 70.4% +2.4%
2007 70.7% +0.3%
2008 71.0% +0.4%
2009 71.1% +0.2%
2010 70.8% -0.5%
2011 71.5% +1.0%
2012 71.5% +0.0%
2013 67.7% -5.3%
2014 67.9% +0.4%
2015 68.1% +0.2%
2016 68.4% +0.4%
2017 68.6% +0.4%
2018 69.3% +1.0%
2019 68.9% -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 63.5% 59.9% 65.4% 3
2000s 69.5% 67.6% 71.1% 10
2010s 69.3% 67.7% 71.5% 10

Countries ranked near OECD members

  1. 30 Kenya 99.0% compare
  2. 31 Saudi Arabia 98.5% compare
  3. 32 Tanzania, United Republic of 98.4% compare
  4. 33 Qatar 98.2% compare
  5. 34 Afghanistan 98.0% compare
  6. 35 Lao People's Democratic Republic 97.9% compare
  7. 36 Equatorial Guinea 97.8% compare

See the full ranking of 224 places →

More reference data data for OECD members

All data for OECD members →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members?
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members was 68.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general recorded in OECD members?
The highest recorded value was 71.5% in 2012.
What is the lowest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general recorded in OECD members?
The lowest recorded value was 59.9% in 1997.
How does OECD members rank for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general?
OECD members ranks 33rd out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
Is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general rising or falling in OECD members?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this OECD members data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general in OECD members. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-all-students-in-upper-secondary-education-enrolled-in-general-programmes-percent/oecd-members/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
224 places, 3,926 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in general programmes at the upper secondary education level, expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled in all programmes (vocational and general) at the upper secondary level. General education is designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies and literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced educational programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. General educational programmes are typically school- or college-based. General education includes educational programmes that are designed to prepare students for entry into vocational education, but that do not prepare for employment in a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades, nor lead directly to a labour market relevant qualification.