United Arab Emirates: Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.72 percentage points from 104.92% in 2018. Since 1974 it is up 90.99 percentage points from 13.21% in 1974. The World Bank has no value for 17 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, United Arab Emirates' lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 4.54 percentage points on 2022 (from 108.74% to 104.2%).

Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2022), the average change was +0.74 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.96 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 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 9.49 percentage points in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.83 percentage points in 1987. 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, United Arab Emirates had the 3rd 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 United Arab Emirates in the 2023 ranking

• St. Kitts and Nevis — 1st of 30: 119.75%
• Kenya — 3rd of 30: 101.23%
• Croatia — 4th of 30: 100.1%
• Iceland — 5th of 30: 97.79%

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 33 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)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 85.24% (2023)
• Israel — 97.81% (2024)
• Jordan — 91.31% (2024)
• Kuwait — 85.33% (2021)
• Lebanon

More education data for United Arab Emirates

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 49.03% (2017)
• Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 24.52 (2016)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 94.21% (2020)
• Primary education, pupils — 586,477 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 108.04% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

104.2% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is up 90.99 percentage points from 13.21% in 1974. The highest value was 123.61% in 2001 and the lowest 13.21% in 1974.

How does United Arab Emirates rank?

3rd highest of 30 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, United Arab Emirates' lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 4.54 percentage points on 2022 (from 108.74% to 104.2%). Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2022), the average change was +0.74 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.96 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 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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