Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) rose 1.57 percentage points on 2023 (from 65.76% to 67.34%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.42 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.84 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above 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 2.61 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.29 percentage points in 2013. 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 upward, about 0.85 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 91% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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 49 values

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

• Afghanistan — 71.54% (2023)
• Algeria — 71.07% (2025)
• Bahrain — 99.48% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 82.13% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 83.52% (2023)
• Israel — 97.63% (2024)
• Jordan — 88.62% (2024)
• Kuwait — 78.1% (2021)
• Lebanon

More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.06 (2024)
• Primary completion rate, female (% of relevant age group) — 81.14% (2024)
• Primary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) — 86.1% (2024)
• Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) — 83.68% (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 91.9 million (2024)

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Questions people ask

What is Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group)?

67.34% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1976?

It is up 23.32 percentage points from 44.02% in 1976. The highest value was 67.34% in 2024 and the lowest 44.02% in 1976.

Is the latest change in lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) unusual for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?

In 2024, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's lower secondary completion rate, male (% of relevant age group) rose 1.57 percentage points on 2023 (from 65.76% to 67.34%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.42 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.84 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above 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.MA.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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