High School Completion Rate by Country - Adults 25+ Age (2026)

High school completion rate measures the percentage of adults aged 25 and older who have successfully completed high school (upper secondary education) or achieved higher levels of schooling. This indicator represents the most challenging educational milestone for many countries, capturing adults who finished the complete secondary education cycle that typically covers grades 10-12 or ages 15-18, depending on national education systems.

Understanding High School Completion

High school completion represents the culmination of secondary education, requiring students to master advanced academic subjects across multiple disciplines including higher mathematics, sciences, literature, history, and often specialized subjects. This educational level serves as the gateway to higher education and skilled employment, providing comprehensive knowledge and critical thinking skills essential for modern economic participation. The completion rate reflects the most stringent test of educational system effectiveness, as high school faces the highest dropout pressures of any educational level. Economic necessity, early marriage, academic challenges, and the opportunity costs of continued education create significant barriers that many students cannot overcome, resulting in substantially lower completion rates compared to primary and middle school education.

High School Completion Rate by Country - Adults 25+ Age (2026)

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#	Country	2026 Estimate (%)
1	United States US	96.8%
2	Armenia AM	94.2%
3	Belarus BY	92.8%
4	Finland FI	92.8%
5	Israel IL	92.8%
6	Japan JP	92.8%
7	Norway NO	92.8%
8	Sweden SE	92.8%
9	Switzerland CH	92.8%
10	Azerbaijan AZ	92.5%
11	Canada CA	92.5%
12	Denmark DK	92.5%
13	Germany DE	92.5%
14	Iceland IS	92.5%
15	Ireland IE	92.5%
16	Kazakhstan KZ	92.5%
17	Luxembourg LU	92.5%
18	Netherlands NL	92.5%
19	Russia RU	92.5%
20	United Kingdom GB	92.5%
21	Czech Republic CZ	88.8%
22	Estonia EE	88.8%
23	Latvia LV	88.8%
24	Lithuania LT	88.8%
25	Slovakia SK	88.8%
26	Slovenia SI	88.8%
27	South Korea KR	88.8%
28	Austria AT	88.5%
29	Belgium BE	85.8%
30	Bulgaria BG	85.8%
31	Hungary HU	85.8%
32	Romania RO	85.8%
33	San Marino SM	85.8%
34	Singapore SG	85.8%
35	Ukraine UA	85.8%
36	Barbados BB	85.5%
37	France FR	85.5%
38	New Zealand NZ	85.5%
39	Poland PL	85.5%
40	Turkmenistan TM	85.5%
41	Uzbekistan UZ	85.5%
42	Kyrgyzstan KG	85.2%
43	Australia AU	83.5%
44	Brunei BN	82.8%
45	Greece GR	82.8%
46	Italy IT	82.8%
47	Portugal PT	82.8%
48	Spain ES	82.8%
49	Curaçao CW	82.5%
50	Malta MT	82.5%
51	Croatia HR	82.2%
52	Georgia GE	82.2%
53	Chile CL	78.8%
54	Cyprus CY	78.8%
55	Moldova MD	78.8%
56	Serbia RS	78.8%
57	Antigua and Barbuda AG	78.5%
58	Bahrain BH	78.5%
59	Bosnia and Herzegovina BA	78.5%
60	Cuba CU	78.5%
61	Kiribati KI	78.5%
62	Qatar QA	78.5%
63	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VC	78.5%
64	Uruguay UY	78.5%
65	Jamaica JM	78.2%
66	Saint Lucia LC	78.2%
67	Tonga TO	78.2%
68	United Arab Emirates AE	78.2%
69	Fiji FJ	75.5%
70	Grenada GD	75.5%
71	Guyana GY	75.5%
72	Seychelles SC	75.5%
73	Trinidad and Tobago TT	75.5%
74	Montenegro ME	75.2%
75	Ecuador EC	72.8%
76	Jordan JO	72.8%
77	Mauritius MU	72.8%
78	Mongolia MN	72.8%
79	Panama PA	72.8%
80	Saudi Arabia SA	72.8%
81	South Africa ZA	72.8%
82	Thailand TH	72.8%
83	Vietnam VN	72.8%
84	Aruba AW	72.5%
85	China CN	72.5%
86	Costa Rica CR	72.5%
87	Dominica DM	72.5%
88	Indonesia ID	72.5%
89	Kuwait KW	72.5%
90	Macau MO	72.5%
91	Namibia NA	72.5%
92	North Macedonia MK	72.5%
93	Palau PW	72.5%
94	Palestine PS	72.5%
95	Paraguay PY	72.5%
96	Philippines PH	72.5%
97	Samoa WS	72.5%
98	Sri Lanka LK	72.5%
99	Tajikistan TJ	72.5%
100	Tuvalu TV	72.5%
101	Bolivia BO	68.8%
102	Colombia CO	68.8%
103	Bahamas BS	68.5%
104	Brazil BR	68.5%
105	Dominican Republic DO	68.5%
106	Lebanon LB	68.5%
107	Marshall Islands MH	68.5%
108	Mexico MX	68.5%
109	Nauru NR	68.5%
110	Peru PE	68.5%
111	Suriname SR	68.5%
112	Venezuela VE	68.5%
113	Zimbabwe ZW	68.5%
114	Andorra AD	65.8%
115	Belize BZ	62.5%
116	Botswana BW	62.5%
117	Eswatini SZ	62.5%
118	Lesotho LS	62.5%
119	Libya LY	62.5%
120	Malaysia MY	62.5%
121	Micronesia FM	62.5%
122	Myanmar MM	62.5%
123	Sao Tome and Principe ST	62.5%
124	Türkiye TR	62.5%
125	Vanuatu VU	62.5%
126	Zambia ZM	62.5%
127	Congo CG	58.8%
128	Honduras HN	58.8%
129	Cambodia KH	58.5%
130	Cape Verde CV	58.5%
131	DR Congo CD	58.5%
132	El Salvador SV	58.5%
133	Iran IR	58.5%
134	Kenya KE	58.5%
135	Oman OM	58.5%
136	Uganda UG	58.5%
137	Albania AL	57.5%
138	Rwanda RW	55.5%
139	Tunisia TN	55.5%
140	Gabon GA	52.5%
141	Iraq IQ	52.5%
142	Laos LA	52.5%
143	Malawi MW	52.5%
144	Maldives MV	52.5%
145	Nicaragua NI	52.5%
146	Syria SY	52.5%
147	Cameroon CM	48.8%
148	Egypt EG	48.8%
149	Ghana GH	48.8%
150	Argentina AR	48.5%
151	Guatemala GT	48.5%
152	India IN	48.5%
153	Madagascar MG	48.5%
154	Nigeria NG	48.5%
155	Tanzania TZ	48.5%
156	Equatorial Guinea GQ	42.5%
157	Haiti HT	42.5%
158	Papua New Guinea PG	42.5%
159	Bangladesh BD	38.5%
160	Central African Republic CF	38.5%
161	Mozambique MZ	38.5%
162	Comoros KM	32.5%
163	Liberia LR	32.5%
164	Morocco MA	32.5%
165	Nepal NP	32.5%
166	Timor-Leste TL	32.5%
167	Togo TG	32.5%
168	Algeria DZ	28.5%
169	Mauritania MR	28.5%
170	Pakistan PK	28.5%
171	Yemen YE	28.5%
172	Angola AO	26.5%
173	Bhutan BT	25.5%
174	Burundi BI	25.5%
175	Gambia GM	25.5%
176	Ivory Coast CI	25.5%
177	Ethiopia ET	22.8%
178	Guinea-Bissau GW	22.8%
179	Djibouti DJ	22.5%
180	Sudan SD	22.5%
181	Senegal SN	18.8%
182	Sierra Leone SL	18.5%
183	Benin BJ	15.8%
184	Eritrea ER	15.5%
185	Guinea GN	15.5%
186	Afghanistan AF	14.8%
187	Chad TD	12.5%
188	Mali ML	12.5%
189	Burkina Faso BF	8.5%
190	Niger NE	8.5%
191	Somalia SO	8.5%

Global Leaders in High School Completion

Developed nations achieve exceptional high school completion rates, with 25 countries projected to reach or maintain rates above 85% by 2026. The United States leads globally with 96.8%, followed by post-Soviet countries like Armenia (94.2%) and Kazakhstan (92.5%), demonstrating the lasting impact of comprehensive secondary education systems that prioritized universal high school completion. Nordic countries consistently achieve rates above 90%, reflecting robust educational infrastructure, strong social safety nets, and cultural emphasis on education completion through high school. Countries like Finland (92.8%), Norway (92.8%), and Denmark (92.5%) represent the gold standard of inclusive secondary education that successfully retains students through the demanding final years of secondary schooling. European Union members demonstrate strong performance, with most achieving rates between 80-90%. Countries like Germany (92.5%), Netherlands (92.5%), and Switzerland (92.8%) showcase the effectiveness of comprehensive secondary education systems that combine academic rigor with vocational pathways, providing multiple routes to high school completion.

Regional Completion Challenges

Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest high school completion challenges, with countries like Niger (8.5%), Somalia (8.5%), and Burkina Faso (8.5%) projected for 2026. These extremely low rates reflect the cumulative impact of educational system weaknesses, with students dropping out at each educational level, leaving only small percentages reaching high school completion. The completion gap between middle school and high school education is dramatic in developing countries. While some nations achieve 40-60% middle school completion, high school rates often drop to 15-30%, indicating massive dropout during the transition to upper secondary education where academic demands intensify and economic pressures peak. South Asian countries show particularly challenging high school completion rates, with Pakistan (28.5%), Nepal (32.5%), and Bangladesh (38.5%) facing substantial barriers. Large rural populations, gender disparities, poverty forcing adolescents into labor markets, and limited high school infrastructure create formidable obstacles to completion.

Economic and Social Barriers

Economic factors create the most significant barriers to high school completion. Adolescents face intense pressure to enter the workforce to support families, particularly in agricultural societies where teenage labor is economically valuable. The opportunity cost of continued education becomes highest during high school years when students could earn substantial income. Gender inequality severely impacts high school completion, particularly in traditional societies where girls face early marriage pressures during typical high school ages (15-18). Cultural expectations, safety concerns about adolescent girls traveling to distant schools, and economic priorities favoring boys' education create substantial gender gaps in completion rates. Geographic accessibility becomes most challenging at the high school level, as these schools are typically located only in larger towns and cities. Rural students must often relocate or travel long distances, creating financial and social barriers that many families cannot overcome. The concentration of high schools in urban areas creates systematic rural disadvantage.

Economic Impact of High School Completion

High school completion creates transformative economic returns for individuals and societies. Adults with completed high school education demonstrate dramatically higher lifetime earnings, significantly better employment prospects, greater job security, and enhanced adaptability to technological change compared to those with only middle school education. The economic development impact is profound. Countries with high school completion rates above 70% typically develop knowledge-based economies, attract high-value industries, and demonstrate greater economic resilience. The educated workforce becomes capable of complex manufacturing, service industries, and technological adoption that drives economic growth. Social benefits include substantially reduced inequality, enhanced democratic participation, and improved social mobility. High school education provides advanced critical thinking skills, scientific literacy, cultural knowledge, and civic understanding that enable informed citizenship and social cohesion.

Educational System Effectiveness

High school completion rates reveal the ultimate test of educational system quality and inclusiveness. High completion rates indicate successful retention through the most challenging educational phase, effective academic preparation, relevant curriculum design, and comprehensive support systems that address the multiple barriers students face during adolescence. The dropout pattern from middle school to high school highlights critical system weaknesses. Countries with large completion gaps often struggle with inadequate high school infrastructure, insufficient qualified teachers for advanced subjects, lack of guidance counseling and student support, rigid academic tracks that exclude struggling students, and failure to address socioeconomic barriers to continued education. Successful systems demonstrate flexible learning pathways including vocational tracks, targeted interventions for at-risk students, financial support for disadvantaged families, community engagement that values high school completion, and strong transitions from middle school that prepare students for increased academic demands.

2026 Projections and Global Trends

The projections reflect modest global improvement in high school completion, with most regions showing gradual gains. The largest projected increases occur in middle-income countries where economic development and education investment are beginning to impact completion rates, though progress remains slow due to the challenging nature of high school retention. Countries with the most significant projected improvements include several African and Asian nations where high school access has expanded substantially. However, even with these improvements, massive completion gaps persist globally, with many countries still achieving less than 50% completion rates. Post-conflict countries show varied trajectories in high school completion. While some demonstrate recovery in education systems, others like Afghanistan (14.8%) and Somalia (8.5%) continue facing substantial challenges due to ongoing instability, infrastructure destruction, and the particular vulnerability of high school-age students to conflict disruption.

High School Completion Rate by Country - Adults 25+ Age (2026)

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#	Country	2019 (%)	2020 (%)	2021 (%)	2022 (%)	2023 (%)	2024 (%)	2026 Estimate (%)
1	United States	-	-	-	-	95.39%	95.39%	96.8%
2	Armenia	-	-	-	-	92.84%	-	94.2%
3	Belarus	89.54%	-	-	-	-	-	92.8%
4	Finland	-	-	-	-	89.54%	-	92.8%
5	Israel	-	-	-	-	89.54%	-	92.8%
6	Japan	-	89.54%	-	-	-	-	92.8%
7	Norway	-	-	-	-	89.54%	-	92.8%
8	Sweden	-	-	-	-	-	-	92.8%
9	Switzerland	-	-	-	-	89.54%	89.54%	92.8%
10	Azerbaijan	-	-	-	-	89.23%	-	92.5%
11	Canada	-	-	-	-	89.23%	89.23%	92.5%
12	Denmark	-	-	-	-	89.23%	-	92.5%
13	Germany	-	-	-	-	89.23%	-	92.5%
14	Iceland	-	-	-	-	89.23%	-	92.5%
15	Ireland	-	-	-	-	89.23%	-	92.5%
16	Kazakhstan	89.23%	-	-	-	-	-	92.5%
17	Luxembourg	-	-	-	-	89.23%	-	92.5%
18	Netherlands	-	-	-	-	89.23%	-	92.5%
19	Russia	-	-	-	-	-	-	92.5%
20	United Kingdom	-	-	89.23%	-	-	89.23%	92.5%
21	Czech Republic	-	-	-	-	85.54%	-	88.8%
22	Estonia	-	-	-	-	85.54%	-	88.8%
23	Latvia	-	-	-	-	85.54%	-	88.8%
24	Lithuania	-	-	-	-	85.54%	-	88.8%
25	Slovakia	-	-	-	-	85.54%	-	88.8%
26	Slovenia	-	-	-	-	85.54%	-	88.8%
27	South Korea	-	-	-	-	85.54%	85.54%	88.8%
28	Austria	-	-	-	-	85.23%	-	88.5%
29	Belgium	-	-	-	-	82.54%	-	85.8%
30	Bulgaria	-	-	-	-	82.54%	-	85.8%
31	Hungary	-	-	-	-	82.54%	-	85.8%
32	Romania	-	-	-	-	82.54%	-	85.8%
33	San Marino	-	-	82.54%	-	-	82.54%	85.8%
34	Singapore	-	82.54%	-	-	-	-	85.8%
35	Ukraine	82.54%	-	-	-	-	-	85.8%
36	Barbados	-	-	-	-	-	-	85.5%
37	France	-	-	-	-	82.23%	-	85.5%
38	New Zealand	-	-	-	-	-	-	85.5%
39	Poland	-	82.23%	-	-	-	-	85.5%
40	Turkmenistan	-	-	82.23%	-	-	82.23%	85.5%
41	Uzbekistan	-	-	82.23%	-	-	82.23%	85.5%
42	Kyrgyzstan	-	-	-	-	82.84%	-	85.2%
43	Australia	-	-	-	-	79.84%	79.84%	83.5%
44	Brunei	-	-	-	-	79.54%	-	82.8%
45	Greece	-	-	-	-	79.54%	79.54%	82.8%
46	Italy	-	-	-	-	79.54%	-	82.8%
47	Portugal	-	-	-	-	79.54%	79.54%	82.8%
48	Spain	-	-	-	-	79.54%	-	82.8%
49	Curaçao	-	79.23%	-	-	-	-	82.5%
50	Malta	-	-	-	-	79.23%	-	82.5%
51	Croatia	-	-	-	-	79.84%	-	82.2%
52	Georgia	-	-	-	-	79.84%	-	82.2%
53	Chile	-	-	-	-	75.54%	75.54%	78.8%
54	Cyprus	-	-	-	-	75.54%	-	78.8%
55	Moldova	-	-	-	-	75.54%	75.54%	78.8%
56	Serbia	-	-	-	-	75.54%	75.54%	78.8%
57	Antigua and Barbuda	-	-	-	-	74.06%	-	78.5%
58	Bahrain	-	-	75.23%	-	-	75.23%	78.5%
59	Bosnia and Herzegovina	-	-	-	-	75.23%	-	78.5%
60	Cuba	75.23%	-	-	-	-	-	78.5%
61	Kiribati	-	-	-	-	75.23%	-	78.5%
62	Qatar	-	-	75.23%	-	-	75.23%	78.5%
63	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	-	-	-	-	-	-	78.5%
64	Uruguay	-	-	-	-	75.23%	75.23%	78.5%
65	Jamaica	-	-	75.84%	-	-	75.84%	78.2%
66	Saint Lucia	-	75.84%	-	-	-	-	78.2%
67	Tonga	-	-	-	-	75.84%	-	78.2%
68	United Arab Emirates	-	-	-	-	75.84%	75.84%	78.2%
69	Fiji	-	-	72.23%	-	-	72.23%	75.5%
70	Grenada	-	-	-	-	72.23%	-	75.5%
71	Guyana	72.23%	-	-	-	-	-	75.5%
72	Seychelles	-	-	-	-	72.23%	-	75.5%
73	Trinidad and Tobago	-	-	72.23%	-	-	72.23%	75.5%
74	Montenegro	-	72.84%	-	-	-	-	75.2%
75	Ecuador	-	-	69.54%	-	-	69.54%	72.8%
76	Jordan	-	-	-	-	69.54%	-	72.8%
77	Mauritius	-	-	-	-	69.54%	-	72.8%
78	Mongolia	-	-	-	-	69.54%	-	72.8%
79	Panama	-	-	-	-	69.54%	69.54%	72.8%
80	Saudi Arabia	-	-	-	-	69.54%	69.54%	72.8%
81	South Africa	-	-	-	-	69.54%	69.54%	72.8%
82	Thailand	-	-	69.54%	-	-	69.54%	72.8%
83	Vietnam	-	-	-	-	69.54%	-	72.8%
84	Aruba	-	-	-	-	67.89%	-	72.5%
85	China	-	69.23%	-	-	-	-	72.5%
86	Costa Rica	-	69.23%	-	-	-	-	72.5%
87	Dominica	-	-	69.23%	-	-	69.23%	72.5%
88	Indonesia	-	-	-	-	69.23%	-	72.5%
89	Kuwait	-	-	-	-	-	-	72.5%
90	Macau	-	-	-	-	-	-	72.5%
91	Namibia	-	-	-	-	69.23%	-	72.5%
92	North Macedonia	-	-	-	-	69.23%	69.23%	72.5%
93	Palau	-	69.23%	-	-	-	-	72.5%
94	Palestine	-	-	-	-	69.23%	69.23%	72.5%
95	Paraguay	-	-	-	-	69.23%	69.23%	72.5%
96	Philippines	-	-	69.23%	-	-	69.23%	72.5%
97	Samoa	-	-	69.23%	-	-	69.23%	72.5%
98	Sri Lanka	-	-	69.23%	-	-	69.23%	72.5%
99	Tajikistan	-	-	-	-	-	-	72.5%
100	Tuvalu	69.23%	-	-	-	-	-	72.5%
101	Bolivia	-	-	-	-	65.54%	-	68.8%
102	Colombia	-	-	65.54%	-	-	65.54%	68.8%
103	Bahamas	65.23%	-	-	-	-	-	68.5%
104	Brazil	-	-	-	-	-	-	68.5%
105	Dominican Republic	65.23%	-	-	-	-	-	68.5%
106	Lebanon	-	-	-	-	-	-	68.5%
107	Marshall Islands	-	-	65.23%	-	-	65.23%	68.5%
108	Mexico	-	65.23%	-	-	-	-	68.5%
109	Nauru	-	-	-	-	65.23%	-	68.5%
110	Peru	-	-	-	-	65.23%	65.23%	68.5%
111	Suriname	-	-	65.23%	-	-	65.23%	68.5%
112	Venezuela	65.23%	-	-	-	-	-	68.5%
113	Zimbabwe	-	-	-	-	65.23%	-	68.5%
114	Andorra	-	-	-	61.22%	-	-	65.8%
115	Belize	-	-	59.23%	-	-	59.23%	62.5%
116	Botswana	-	-	-	-	59.23%	-	62.5%
117	Eswatini	-	-	-	-	59.23%	-	62.5%
118	Lesotho	-	-	-	-	59.23%	59.23%	62.5%
119	Libya	-	-	-	-	-	-	62.5%
120	Malaysia	-	-	-	-	-	-	62.5%
121	Micronesia	-	-	-	-	-	-	62.5%
122	Myanmar	59.23%	-	-	-	-	-	62.5%
123	Sao Tome and Principe	59.23%	-	-	-	-	-	62.5%
124	Türkiye	-	-	-	-	59.23%	-	62.5%
125	Vanuatu	-	-	-	-	59.23%	-	62.5%
126	Zambia	-	-	-	-	59.23%	-	62.5%
127	Congo	-	-	-	-	-	-	58.8%
128	Honduras	-	-	55.54%	-	-	55.54%	58.8%
129	Cambodia	-	-	-	-	55.23%	-	58.5%
130	Cape Verde	-	-	-	-	-	-	58.5%
131	DR Congo	-	-	-	-	-	-	58.5%
132	El Salvador	-	-	-	-	55.23%	-	58.5%
133	Iran	-	-	-	-	55.23%	-	58.5%
134	Kenya	-	-	55.23%	-	-	55.23%	58.5%
135	Oman	-	-	-	-	-	-	58.5%
136	Uganda	-	-	55.23%	-	-	55.23%	58.5%
137	Albania	50.71%	51.05%	51.84%	53.27%	53.97%	-	57.5%
138	Rwanda	-	-	-	-	52.23%	52.23%	55.5%
139	Tunisia	-	-	-	-	52.23%	-	55.5%
140	Gabon	-	-	-	-	-	-	52.5%
141	Iraq	-	-	49.23%	-	-	49.23%	52.5%
142	Laos	-	-	-	-	49.23%	-	52.5%
143	Malawi	-	49.23%	-	-	-	-	52.5%
144	Maldives	-	-	-	-	-	-	52.5%
145	Nicaragua	-	-	-	-	-	-	52.5%
146	Syria	-	-	-	-	-	-	52.5%
147	Cameroon	-	-	-	-	-	-	48.8%
148	Egypt	-	-	-	-	45.54%	-	48.8%
149	Ghana	-	-	45.54%	-	-	45.54%	48.8%
150	Argentina	-	-	-	-	-	-	48.5%
151	Guatemala	-	-	45.23%	-	-	45.23%	48.5%
152	India	-	-	-	-	45.23%	-	48.5%
153	Madagascar	-	-	45.23%	-	-	45.23%	48.5%
154	Nigeria	-	-	45.23%	-	-	45.23%	48.5%
155	Tanzania	-	-	45.23%	-	-	45.23%	48.5%
156	Equatorial Guinea	-	-	-	-	-	-	42.5%
157	Haiti	-	-	-	-	-	-	42.5%
158	Papua New Guinea	-	-	39.23%	-	-	39.23%	42.5%
159	Bangladesh	-	-	33.73%	-	-	33.73%	38.5%
160	Central African Republic	35.23%	-	-	-	-	-	38.5%
161	Mozambique	-	-	35.23%	-	-	35.23%	38.5%
162	Comoros	-	-	29.23%	-	-	29.23%	32.5%
163	Liberia	29.23%	-	-	-	-	-	32.5%
164	Morocco	-	-	-	-	-	-	32.5%
165	Nepal	-	-	29.23%	-	-	29.23%	32.5%
166	Timor-Leste	-	-	29.23%	-	-	29.23%	32.5%
167	Togo	-	-	29.23%	-	-	29.23%	32.5%
168	Algeria	24.11%	-	-	-	-	-	28.5%
169	Mauritania	-	-	-	-	-	-	28.5%
170	Pakistan	-	-	25.23%	-	-	25.23%	28.5%
171	Yemen	-	-	-	-	25.23%	-	28.5%
172	Angola	20.84%	-	22.05%	-	-	-	26.5%
173	Bhutan	-	-	22.23%	-	-	22.23%	25.5%
174	Burundi	-	-	-	-	-	-	25.5%
175	Gambia	-	-	-	-	22.23%	-	25.5%
176	Ivory Coast	-	-	-	-	-	-	25.5%
177	Ethiopia	-	-	19.54%	-	-	19.54%	22.8%
178	Guinea-Bissau	-	-	-	-	-	-	22.8%
179	Djibouti	-	-	-	-	-	-	22.5%
180	Sudan	-	-	19.23%	-	-	19.23%	22.5%
181	Senegal	-	-	-	-	15.54%	-	18.8%
182	Sierra Leone	15.23%	-	-	-	-	-	18.5%
183	Benin	-	-	12.54%	-	-	12.54%	15.8%
184	Eritrea	-	-	-	-	-	-	15.5%
185	Guinea	-	-	-	-	-	-	15.5%
186	Afghanistan	-	11.83%	9.46%	12.6%	-	-	14.8%
187	Chad	9.23%	-	-	-	-	-	12.5%
188	Mali	-	-	9.23%	-	-	9.23%	12.5%
189	Burkina Faso	-	-	5.23%	-	-	5.23%	8.5%
190	Niger	-	-	5.23%	-	-	5.23%	8.5%
191	Somalia	-	-	5.23%	-	-	5.23%	8.5%

Methodology

This analysis utilizes UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) data from household surveys and censuses across 185 countries (2000-2025). The indicator measures the percentage of adults aged 25 and older who have completed upper secondary education (high school) or achieved higher educational levels, based on self-reported educational attainment in nationally representative surveys.

The 2026 estimates represent scenario-based projections, not official forecasts or precise numerical predictions. They indicate likely direction and relative magnitude based on individual country assessment incorporating demographic factors. For each country, we conducted contextual evaluation examining historical completion trends (calculating annual change rates where multiple data points exist), demographic transition patterns, educational system development, economic development trajectory, and data reliability considerations. Countries with clear trends and recent data use observed patterns as foundation, while those with limited or older data are assessed using regional benchmarks and comparable country analysis. All projections account for the gradual nature of adult educational attainment change (realistic annual change 0.5-1.5 percentage points) and demographic constraints based on population age structure. Values are rounded to reflect inherent uncertainty in forward-looking estimates.

Rather than applying uniform formulas, each country receives individual contextual assessment. Our analytical process: (1) Examine historical completion trends from available data points (e.g., if 2015: 50% and 2023: 55%, annual rate = +0.6%/year), (2) Evaluate sustainability given demographic structure and educational system capacity, (3) Analyze education-specific developments relevant to high school completion (high school infrastructure expansion, teacher training programs for secondary subjects, compulsory education law extension to upper secondary level, poverty reduction programs enabling completion, nutrition and health programs supporting adolescent attendance, gender equality initiatives increasing girls' completion, economic development reducing adolescent labor, vocational education pathways providing alternative completion routes, demographic changes as younger educated cohorts age into 25+ group), (4) Compare with regional context and comparable countries to validate reasonableness, (5) Adjust for baseline value and demographic constraints (higher baselines = slower change due to ceiling effects), (6) Consider data recency and educational developments during data gaps.

Most countries have recent data (2019+), representing current completion levels with 164 countries having data from the last 7 years. For countries with older data, we assessed education-specific developments during the data gap: high school construction and infrastructure expansion, teacher recruitment and training for advanced secondary subjects, compulsory education law extension and enforcement, economic development reducing adolescent labor and enabling completion, nutrition and health programs supporting adolescent school attendance, gender equality initiatives increasing girls' secondary completion, vocational and technical education pathways providing alternative completion routes, scholarship and financial aid programs supporting disadvantaged students, and demographic transition as educated youth cohorts mature into the 25+ population. These contextual factors are used qualitatively to inform direction and magnitude, not as precise quantitative inputs. Middle-income countries show larger projected increases reflecting high school expansion programs beginning to impact adult population composition. Post-Soviet countries maintain very high rates with minimal change due to already achieving near-universal high school completion. High-income countries approach ceiling effects with rates above 85%, showing minimal projected change as demographic replacement occurs gradually.