Mexico: Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Mexico's lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 2.29 percentage points on 2023 (from 88.89% to 86.6%).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was +0.72 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.18 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.69 percentage points in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.85 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 58% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Mexico had the 52nd highest value of the 93 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 Mexico in the 2024 ranking

• Cuba — 49th of 93: 89.23%
• Mongolia — 50th of 93: 89.11%
• Bolivia — 51st of 93: 88.51%
• Georgia — 53rd of 93: 85.85%
• Jamaica — 54th of 93: 85.64%
• Ghana — 55th of 93: 85.11%

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 24 values

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

• Antigua and Barbuda — 105.95% (2022)
• Argentina — 94.99% (2023)
• Aruba — 107.15% (2022)
• Barbados — 97.34% (2024)
• Belize — 79.11% (2024)
• Bolivia — 88.51% (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 74.81% (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 97.28% (2024)
• Chile

More education data for Mexico

• 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 — 13.19 million (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 13.99 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 10.18% (2025)
• Primary education, teachers — 571,832 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Mexico's lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)?

86.6% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 17.16 percentage points from 69.44% in 2000. The highest value was 98.27% in 2017 and the lowest 69.44% in 2000.

How does Mexico rank?

52nd highest of 93 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Mexico's lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 2.29 percentage points on 2023 (from 88.89% to 86.6%). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was +0.72 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.48 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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.

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