Explore the OECD's reports or draw from a wide variety of education indicators and data to construct your own, customised country reports, highlighting the facts, developments and outcomes of your choice.

Country

Australia
Change country

Data profiles:


Australia
Overview of the education system (EAG 2023)
  • In Australia, the total compulsory instruction time over the course of primary and lower secondary education is higher than the OECD average, at 11 000 hours, distributed over 11 grades.
  • In Australia,29% of 25-34 year-olds have a vocational education and training (VET) qualification as their highest level of attainment: 13% at upper secondary level and 6% at post-secondary non-tertiary level and 10% at short-cycle tertiary level.
  • Although an upper secondary qualification is often the minimum attainment needed for successful labour-market participation,9% of 25-34 year-olds in Australia have not attained an upper secondary qualification, lower than the OECD average (14%).
  • In Australia,25-34 year-old workers with bachelor's attainment earn 24% more than their peers without upper secondary attainment, while those with master's or doctoral attainment earn 24% more.
  • Across all levels from primary to tertiary education, Australia spends USD 15 620 annually per full-time equivalent student (adjusted for purchasing power and including expenditure on research and development), compared to the OECD average of USD 12 647. Expenditure per student is equivalent to 29% of per capita GDP, which is above the OECD average of 27%.
  • On average,annual statutory salaries for upper secondary teachers in general programmes with the most prevalent qualification and 15 years of experience are USD 53 456 across the OECD. In Australia, the corresponding salary adjusted for purchasing power is USD 69 369, which is equivalent to AUD 108 312.
  • In Australia, in full-time equivalent terms, there are 12 students per staff member in general upper secondary programmes (OECD average: 14 students per staff member).
    • | Education at a Glance 2023 | Country Note | Annexes from Education at a Glance 2023 | OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018 | OECD Education Policy Outlook: Australia | Australian Government Department of Education and Training | National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) | Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
    Profile View

    Select first some countries to compare, choose the charts you wish to display and customise them.

    The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

    Show indicators for which your country ranks among the top or bottom: Sort by:

    Attainment

    The level of tertiary attainment among 25-64 year-olds is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (51.5 %, rank 5/46 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the percentage of 25-64 year-olds who attained a bachelor's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the highest among countries with available data. (28.6 %, rank 5/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Attainment by gender

    The proportion of 25-64 year-old women who have attained a general degree at the tertiary level is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (56.8 %, rank 4/46 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-64 year-old women who attained a bachelor's or equivalent tertiary education degree is one of the largest among countries with available data. (32.2 %, rank 3/45 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Australia has one of the smallest share of women among 55-64 year-olds with a vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education. (38.6 %, rank 32/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Attainment by field of education

    The percentage of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of humanities (except languages), social sciences, journalism and information is one of the lowest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (6.1 %, rank 25/29 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Entrance

    The share of new entrants younger than 25 in bachelor's or equivalent programmes is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (66.4 %, rank 39/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of female students entering bachelor's programmes in Australia is relatively large. (60.4 %, rank 4/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Entrance by field of education and gender

    The share of female in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of business, administration and law is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (49.1 %, rank 26/30 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Participation in education

    The enrolment rate of 20-24 year-olds in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (53.7 %, rank 5/42 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of students aged 17 in general upper secondary programmes in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (81.9 %, rank 4/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of students aged 17 in post-secondary non-tertiary programmes in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.7 %, rank 5/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of students aged 17 tertiary programmes in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.7 %, rank 5/35 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of students aged 17 in vocational upper secondary programmes in Australia is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (5.9 %, rank 37/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate of students aged 18 in post-secondary non-tertiary programmes in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (2.3 %, rank 5/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the percentage of students enrolled in private institutions at pre-primary level is comparatively high. (86.8 %, rank 5/86 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The average age of lower secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes in Australia is one of the highest compared to other countries with available data. (34.7 %, rank 5/22 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Australia has one of the largest shares of lower secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes. (10.4 %, rank 5/23 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of lower secondary vocational students among vocational students is relatively high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (10.2 %, rank 5/18 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The average age of upper secondary students enrolled in vocational programmes in Australia is relatively high compared to the other countries. (31.2 %, rank 2/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, upper secondary vocational students among all vocational students are relatively less numerous than in other OECD or partner countries. (41.8 %, rank 33/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    (100 %, rank 1/30 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The average age of post-secondary non-tertiary students enrolled in vocational programmes in Australia is among the highest. (34.9 %, rank 4/27 , 2021) Download Indicator

    (7.4 %, rank 12/16 , 2021) Download Indicator

    (83.6 %, rank 30/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    (4.1 %, rank 7/9 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among students aged 15-19 in upper secondary programmes in Australia is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (41.5 %, rank 42/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The enrolment rate among students aged 20-24 in upper secondary vocational programmes in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (8.8 %, rank 5/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    (0.3 %, rank 3/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of four-year-olds in primary education in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.2 %, rank 4/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of five-year-olds in primary education in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (76.8 %, rank 4/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of six-year-olds in primary education in Australia is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (99.8 %, rank 5/45 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation

    The average age of graduates from vocational programmes at the upper secondary level in Australia is comparatively high. (32 Years, rank 3/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation by gender

    In Australia, the share of female first-time master's graduates is relatively smallest, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (52.9 %, rank 21/25 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (35.7 %, rank 5/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of tertiary graduates in the field of information and communication technologies is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (7.4 %, rank 4/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the proportion of upper secondary vocational graduates in the field of health and welfare is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (23.7 %, rank 5/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of short-cycle tertiary vocational graduates in the field of business, administration and law is relatively high compared to other OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (47.8 %, rank 2/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Graduation by field of education and gender

    The proportion of female tertiary graduates in social sciences, business and law is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries. (32.9 %, rank 5/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of male tertiary graduates in the field of business, administration and law is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (39.5 %, rank 2/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the percentage of female post-secondary non-tertiary graduates in the field of health and welfare is relatively small. (65.7 %, rank 21/23 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Fields of education

    In Australia, the percentage of new entrants to tertiary education in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction is relatively low. (7.9 %, rank 39/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of students enrolled in the field of engineering, manunfacturing and construction among all national tertiary students in Australia is relatively low. (8.3 %, rank 37/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of new entrants in social sciences, journalism and information master's programmes is relatively low, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (6.1 %, rank 36/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of new entrants in short-cycle tertiary programmes in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is comparatively low in Australia, compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (14.5 %, rank 30/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of new entrants in engineering, manufacturing and construction bachelor's programmes is relatively low in Australia among countries with available data. (6.8 %, rank 37/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of new entrants in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary master's programmes is especially low. (0.5 %, rank 35/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Student mobility

    Australia has a large share of international students graduate from tertiary programmes compared to other OECD countries and partner economies. (44.7 %, rank 1/32 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Australia has one of the largest proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in tertiary education among OECD and partner countries with available data. (21.9 %, rank 2/44 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, international or foreign students from Asia are most represented among all international or foreign students, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (83.6 %, rank 3/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, international or foreign students from Oceania are most represented among all international or foreign students, compared to other OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.8 %, rank 3/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the proportion of international graduates among bachelor's first-time graduates is relatively high. (27.4 %, rank 1/32 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The proportion of international students among the new entrants in master's programmes in Australia is relatively high compared to other OECD and partner countries. (31.4 %, rank 5/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in bachelor's programmes is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (13.2 %, rank 5/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in master's programmes is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (38.5 %, rank 3/41 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the proportion of international or foreign students enrolled in short-cycle tertiary programmes is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (31.7 %, rank 1/35 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the percentage of international or foreign students coming from neighbouring countries is comparatively low . (4 Students, rank 41/43 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Student mobility by field of education

    The percentage of students enrolled in the field of arts and humanities among all international or foreign tertiary students in Australia is relatively low. (6.1 %, rank 32/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of students enrolled in the field of social sciences, journalism and information among all international or foreign tertiary students in Australia is relatively low. (2.4 %, rank 36/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The percentage of students enrolled in the field of business, administration and law among all international or foreign tertiary students in Australia is relatively high. (44.2 %, rank 1/36 , 2021) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of students enrolled in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics among tertiary students is relatively low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (18.8 %, rank 31/34 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Expenditure per student

    Expenditure per student for ancillary services on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education in Australia is comparatively low. (132 USD Equivalent, rank 27/30 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the total annual expenditure per full-time equivalent student on tertiary education is one of the large among OECD and partner countries with available data. (19176 USD Equivalent 2015, rank 5/22 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Expenditure in education and national wealth

    In Australia, expenditure on post secondary non-tertiary educational institutions as a percentage of GDP is comparatively high. (0.1 %, rank 4/21 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, private expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (0.7 %, rank 3/39 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, international expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (0 %, rank 3/33 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, private expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP on primary to tertiary education from final source of funds is relatively high. (1.9 %, rank 4/39 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the private expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds on primary to post-secondary non-tertiary level is high. (0.6 %, rank 3/30 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The proportion of private expenditure as a percentage of GDP from initial source of funds for primary to tertiary education is comparatively high in Australia. (1.5 %, rank 2/29 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Government and private expenditure in education

    The share of private expenditure on all levels below tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (15.3 %, rank 4/39 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The share of private expenditure on tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (63.7 %, rank 4/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Australia has one of the largest shares of private expenditure on primary through tertiary educational institutions among OECD countries and partner economies with available data. (29.9 %, rank 5/39 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of public expenditure on educational institutions, for primary secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively small. (84.7 %, rank 36/39 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The share of public expenditure on educational institutions, for tertiary education is comparatively small in Australia. (36.3 %, rank 37/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of public expenditure on educational institutions, for primary to tertiary education is comparatively small. (70.1 %, rank 35/39 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of private expenditure from primary to tertiary education from initial source of funds is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (23.3 %, rank 3/29 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the relative share of public expenditure from initial sources of funds on primary to post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (85.9 %, rank 27/30 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the relative share of public expenditure from initial source of funds at primary to tertiary education is relatively small. (76.7 %, rank 27/29 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the total expenditure per full-time equivalent student on primary to tertiary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (55.4 %, rank 28/30 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Nature of expenditure

    In Australia, the share of capital expenditure on primary through tertiary is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (13.4 %, rank 5/34 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of current expenditure on primary through tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (86.6 %, rank 30/34 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of current expenditure on secondary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (87.5 %, rank 33/36 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of current expenditure on post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (88.4 %, rank 17/19 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of capital expenditure on tertiary education is one of the largest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (15.1 %, rank 4/35 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the share of current expenditure on tertiary education is one of the smallest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (84.9 %, rank 32/35 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Teachers

    The number of days of instruction in a school year in lower secondary public school is especially high. (198 Days, rank 3/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries

    After 15 years of experience, a lower secondary teacher with minimum qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (69369 USD Equivalent, rank 4/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of pre-primary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.06 Ratio, rank 4/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of primary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.01 Ratio, rank 4/26 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of lower secondary teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.01 Ratio, rank 5/26 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average actual pre-primary teacher's salary among teachers aged between 25-64 is one of the highest per hour of net teaching time among OECD and partner countries with available data. (66419 USD Equivalent, rank 2/24 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average actual primary teacher's salary among teachers aged between 25-64 is one of the highest per hour of net teaching time among OECD and partner countries with available data. (62832 USD Equivalent, rank 5/28 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a pre-primary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (68889 USD Equivalent, rank 4/28 , 2022) Download Indicator

    After 15 years of experience, a primary teacher with typical qualification can expect to have one of the highest salaries among OECD and partner countries with available data. (69513 USD Equivalent, rank 5/35 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of lower secondary female teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year women workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1.13 Ratio, rank 5/21 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The ratio of lower secondary male teachers' salaries to earnings of full-time, full-year men workers with tertiary education is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (0.93 Ratio, rank 3/21 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The salaries of 25-34 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is high in Australia. (1.13 Ratio, rank 3/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The salaries of 55-64 year-old general lower-secondary teachers relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is high in Australia. (1.05 Ratio, rank 3/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average actual salaries of 25-34 year-old lower-secondary teachers is one of the highest in Australia relatively compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (58323 USD Equivalent, rank 3/24 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average actual salaries of 55-64 year-old lower-secondary teachers is one of the highest in Australia. (67642 USD Equivalent, rank 5/24 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Teachers' salaries progression

    Salaries of primary school teachers with minimum training after 10 years of experience are especially high. (67949 USD Equivalent, rank 5/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Salaries of lower secondary teachers with minimum training after 10 years of experience are especially high. (67818 USD Equivalent, rank 5/36 , 2022) Download Indicator

    It takes lower secondary teachers less time to progress through the salary scale in Australia compared to other OECD and partner countries. (9.2 Years, rank 8/10 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Principals' salaries

    Lower-secondary 25-64 year-old school heads' salaries relative to earnings for full-time, full-year similarly educated workers with tertiary education is high in Australia. (1.92 Ratio, rank 2/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average actual salaries of 25-64 year-old primary school heads is one of the highest in Australia. (103540 USD Equivalent, rank 3/24 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average actual salaries of 25-64 year-old lower secondary education school heads is one of the highest in Australia. (119769 USD Equivalent, rank 1/24 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average upper-secondary school heads' actual salary is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (119769 USD Equivalent, rank 2/24 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the average actual salaries of 25-34 year-old lower-secondary school heads is relatively high compared to OECD and partner countries with available data. (105183 USD Equivalent, rank 1/17 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The average actual salaries of 55-64 year-old lower secondary school heads is one of the highest in Australia. (120387 USD Equivalent, rank 1/22 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Ratio of student to teaching staff

    In Australia, the number of students per teacher in private bachelor's, master's, doctoral or equivalent programmes is one of the highest among countries with available data. (29.3 Ratio, rank 5/26 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Organisation of the education system

    The total compulsory instruction time for primary students in Australia is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (7000 Hours, rank 1/38 , 2023) Download Indicator

    The total compulsory instruction time for primary and lower secondary student in Australia is among the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (11000 Hours, rank 1/38 , 2023) Download Indicator

    In Australia, compulsory instruction time for primary students, in hours per year, is one of the longest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (1000 Hours, rank 3/38 , 2023) Download Indicator

    Classes in in private primary institutions are comparatively large in Australia. (25 Students, rank 5/33 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Employment by field of education

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of information and communication technologies is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (84.5 %, rank 28/31 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education who studied in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is low compared to other OECD and partner countries. (84.4 %, rank 25/29 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Unemployment and educational attainment

    Compared to other countries with available data, the unemployment rate of 25-34 year-old with a short cycle tertiary education degree is relatively low in Australia. (3.2 %, rank 23/26 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Unemployment by gender and educational attainment

    The unemployment rate among 25-64 year-old women without upper secondary education is comparatively low. (3.8 %, rank 38/42 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The employment rate among 25-34 year-old women with vocational upper secondary or a post-secondary non-tertiary education is comparatively low. (3.7 %, rank 28/32 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Earnings and educational attainment

    The proportional difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old adults with tertiary education and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is quite low. (127 Index, rank 37/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared with other OECD and partner countries, the proportional difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old adults with a short-cycle tertiary education degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is low. (106 Index, rank 28/30 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The gap in average earnings between 25-64 year-old women with a short-cycle tertiary education degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (105 Index, rank 27/29 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The gap in average earnings between 25-64 year-old women with a master's, doctoral or equivalent degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is one of the lowest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (149 Index, rank 30/34 , 2020) Download Indicator

    In Australia, the proportional difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old men with a master's, doctoral or equivalent degree and those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education is low. (153 Index, rank 30/34 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings of 25-64 year-old full and part-time workers with tertiary education are comparatively low. (126.8 %, rank 39/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings of foreign-born aged between 25 and 64 who work full- and part-time with a short cycle tertiary education are comparatively low. (103.2 %, rank 28/30 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Earnings of 25-64 year-old full- and part-time workers with a master's, doctoral or equivalent education degree are comparatively low. (151.3 %, rank 31/33 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-64 year-old workers without an upper secondary education earning more than twice the overall median in Australia is one of the highest among countries with available data. (6.4 %, rank 4/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The share of 25-64 year-old workers without an upper secondary education earning at or below half the overall median in Australia is one of the lowest among countries with available data. (20.1 %, rank 35/38 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of 25-34 year-olds working full-time and full-year with tertiary education compared to those of adults without an upper secondary education are relatively low in Australia. (121 Index, rank 38/39 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings, gender and educational attainment

    The earnings of women without an upper secondary education are relatively high compared to those of women with an upper secondary education. (101 Index, rank 1/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old men with tertiary education and those with upper secondary education is quite low. (132 Index, rank 36/40 , 2020) Download Indicator

    The difference in earnings between 25-64 year-old women with tertiary education and those with upper secondary education is quite low. (132 Index, rank 36/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (among 25-64 year-olds without an upper secondary education with income from employment) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (96.3 %, rank 1/40 , 2021) Download Indicator

    The earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (25-34 year-olds without an upper secondary education working full-time full-year) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (96 %, rank 1/30 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings of women as a percentage of men's earnings (45-54 year-olds without an upper secondary education working full-time full-year) are one of the highest among countries with available data. (96 %, rank 2/37 , 2021) Download Indicator

    Earnings by field of education

    Earnings of tertiary-educated adults who studied in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) are low, compared to earnings of all tertiary-educated adults in Australia. (105.6 %, rank 15/17 , 2020) Download Indicator

    Compared to other countries with available data, earnings of tertiary-educated adults in Australia who studied in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT), are low, when compared to earnings of adults with an upper secondary education. (99.1 %, rank 15/16 , 2020) Download Indicator


    The data table will display up to six selected countries.
    General findings
    

    

    

    • On average in OECD countries, the employment rate for younger adults (25-34 year-olds) with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education as their highest attainment is 83% for those with a vocational qualification and 73% for those with a general one.
    • Combined school- and work-based vocational programmes facilitate the transition into the labour market. In Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia and Switzerland, around nine out of ten upper secondary VET students are in a combined school- and work-based programme, but in 10 countries, the share is less than one in five.
    • Vocational education and training (VET) programmes, which often require specific equipment and infrastructure, typically cost more per student than general programmes. On average across OECD countries, expenditure per student is about USD 11 400 in general upper secondary programmes, compared to about USD 13 200 in vocational programmes.
    • On average across OECD countries, 43% of teachers in vocational upper secondary programmes are aged 50 or over. This reflects an ageing VET teacher workforce, and also that some VET teachers join the teaching profession after an industry work experience.
    

    

    
| Spotlight on Vocational Education and Training | Education policies: Access and Participation - VET | Education policies: Finance and Funding - VET | Education policies: Labour market outcomes - VET | 
    

    
Visualisations
    


    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables


    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    

    

    

    

    • On average across OECD, 20% of adults (25-64 year-olds) still do not have an upper secondary qualification in 2022. Forty percent have an upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary qualification as their highest level of education, the same share as those with a tertiary degree.

    • Employment rates increase as educational attainment increases. Among 25-64 year-olds, the employment rate is 59% for those with below upper secondary attainment. This rises to 77% for adults with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment and 86% for those with tertiary attainment.

    • Civic engagement tends to increase as educational attainment increases. Across the OECD countries and accession countries participating in the European Social Survey (ESS) Round 10, around 10% of individuals with tertiary attainment have participated in a public demonstration in the previous 12 months, whereas 6% of individuals with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary educational attainment have done so.

    • The most common form of participation in adult learning is non-formal education and training, mostly job related. Slightly more than one in ten adults (25-64 year-olds) participate in non-formal education and training on average across OECD and accession countries reporting data with a four-week reference period, of which almost 80% have engaged in at least one job-related learning activity.
    

    

    
| Education policies: Attainment | Education policies: Labour market outcomes | 
    

    
Visualisations
    


    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables


    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    

    

    

    

    • On average, 18% of children under 2 and 43% of 2-year-olds were enrolled in early childhood education (ECEC) programmes in 2021 but other ECEC services also play a significant role. In Japan, 26% of children under 2 and 53% of 2-year-olds are enrolled in ECEC services outside ISCED 0.

    • In Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, vocational programmes mostly serve those who have completed their initial schooling, and less than 12% of 15-19 year-old upper secondary students are pursuing VET. In contrast, there are 11 OECD countries where the majority of 15-19 year-olds enrolled in upper secondary education are in vocational programmes.

    • Most upper secondary VET students are in programmes that offer direct access to tertiary education. Countries where around 30% or more vocational students enrolled in programmes that lead to full level completion without direct access to tertiary education tend to be those with multiple vocational tracks and bridging options to allow progression to higher levels of education.

    • On average, 72% of students who enter upper secondary education graduate within its theoretical duration across countries with available data. Two years after the end of the theoretical duration, the average completion rate has increased to 82%.

    • Students who entered a general upper secondary programme have a higher rate of completion (87%) than those who entered in a vocational programme (73%) in nearly all countries two years after the end of the theoretical programme duration.

    • The COVID-19 pandemic had a very uneven impact on international student flows across countries during the period 2019-2021. While the share of mobile students fell by 6 percentage points in Australia and 9 percentage points in New Zealand, it increased in several countries and remained unchanged in many others.
    

    

    
| Education policies: Access and Participation  | 
    

    
Visualisations
    


    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables


    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    

    

    

    

    • Across OECD countries, expenditure per student averages around USD 10 700 at the primary level, USD 11 900 at secondary and USD 18 100 at tertiary level. This reflects the fact that higher levels of education often require teachers to have more advanced qualifications and specialised knowledge which are usually accompanied by higher salaries.

    • Vocational education and training (VET) programmes, which often require specific equipment and infrastructure, typically cost more per student than general programmes. On average across OECD countries, expenditure per student is about USD 11 400 in general upper secondary programmes, compared to about USD 13 200 in vocational programmes.
    • Upper secondary vocational programmes receive between 3% and 17% of all funding for primary to tertiary educational institutions. Post-secondary non-tertiary programmes, which are often vocational, receive as much as 7% of funding (in Ireland) and short-cycle tertiary as much as 10% (in Canada).

    • In 2020, on average across OECD countries, 84% of the funding for primary to tertiary educational institutions came directly from government sources, 15% from private sources and 1% from non-domestic (international) sources.

    • Higher education levels tend to have higher teachers' salary costs per student. On average across OECD countries, they rise from USD 3 614 per student in primary education to USD 4 424 in lower secondary education. This is mostly due to a combination of higher teachers' salaries and instruction time, and shorter teaching hours.
    

    

    
| Education policies: Finance and Funding | 
    

    
Visualisations
    


    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables


    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    

    

    

    

    • Students across the OECD receive an average of 7 634 hours of compulsory instruction during their primary and lower secondary education, ranging from 5 245 hours in Poland to double that in Australia (11 000 hours).

    • Teachers' actual salaries at pre-primary, primary and general secondary levels of education are 81-95% of the earnings of tertiary-educated workers on average across OECD countries and other participants.

    • School heads' actual salaries are more than 51% higher on average than those of teachers across primary and secondary education in OECD countries and other participants.

    • More than three-quarters of the OECD countries have national, or central, examinations in the final years of upper secondary education (in general programmes). A large majority of these countries use these examinations to grant students access to tertiary education.

    

    

    
| Education policies: Teachers | Education policies: Teachers | OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)  | 
    

    
Visualisations
    


    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables


    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    
Click the arrow sign next to the title:
arrows
to display other variables

    


    

    

    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    


    

    
Key

    
Diagram of funding flows - Australia

    

    

    

    

    
Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version

    
Key

    
Country Reviews for Australia

    

    

    

    








    
Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced
by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple
most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in
education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities,
such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey
more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important
areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please
take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website
for each publication.
    
All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available.
The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/


    
Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some
countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2018 for school year 2017/2018.


    
*TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies.
This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages.
Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and
Annex 3
of EAG 2021 for more details about the data collections.


    
B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China:
Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.


    
For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.