Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in Australia
Australia: Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age was 77.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in Australia, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 77.7% for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in Australia peaked at 85.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 77.7%, in 2022.
That places Australia 10th out of 53 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 84.4% | — |
| 2003 | 85.4% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 84.2% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 83.6% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 83.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 80.3% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 79.0% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 77.7% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 84.4% | 83.6% | 85.4% | 4 |
| 2010s | 81.1% | 79.0% | 83.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 77.7% | 77.7% | 77.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in Australia?
- Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age in Australia was 77.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 85.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.7% in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age?
- Australia ranks 10th out of 53 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower-secondary age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children who achieve minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data accounts for school completion rates to estimate skills for all children, not just those in school.