Iran, Islamic Rep.: Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

Since 1984 it is up 46.45 percentage points from 38.79% in 1984. The World Bank has no value for 15 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 0.37 percentage points on 2022 (from 85.61% to 85.24%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2022), the average change was +1.9 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.19 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 8.13 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.49 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Iran, Islamic Rep. had the 23rd highest value of the 30 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Iran, Islamic Rep. in the 2023 ranking

• Ecuador — 19th of 30: 90.47%
• Dominica — 20th of 30: 90.43%
• South Africa — 21st of 30: 88.31%
• Romania — 23rd of 30: 77.98%
• Uruguay — 24th of 30: 77.87%
• Eswatini — 25th of 30: 67.57%

What this measures

Lower secondary education completion rate is measured as the gross intake ratio to the last grade of lower secondary education (general and pre-vocational). It is calculated as the number of new entrants in the last grade of lower secondary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of lower secondary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of Lower secondary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual Lower secondary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 25 values

Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 62.05% (2023)
• Algeria — 79.03% (2025)
• Bahrain — 99.78% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 83.87% (2024)
• Israel — 97.81% (2024)
• Jordan — 91.31% (2024)
• Kuwait — 85.33% (2021)
• Lebanon — 52.92% (2023)
• Malta — 97.34% (2023)

More education data for Iran, Islamic Rep.

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 9.09 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.96% (2023)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 72.48% (2020)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 102.05% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 101.88% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Iran, Islamic Rep.'s lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)?

85.24% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is up 46.45 percentage points from 38.79% in 1984. The highest value was 89.74% in 2009 and the lowest 38.79% in 1984.

How does Iran, Islamic Rep. rank?

23rd highest of 30 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) unusual for Iran, Islamic Rep.?

In 2023, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 0.37 percentage points on 2022 (from 85.61% to 85.24%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1985 to 2022), the average change was +1.9 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.19 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.CMPT.LO.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.