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Definition
Completion rate
Percentage of a cohort of children or young people aged 3-5 years above the intended age for the last grade of each
level of education who have completed that grade. The intended age for the last grade of each level of education is the
age at which pupils would enter the grade if they had started school at the official primary entrance age, had studied
full-time and had progressed without repeating or skipping a grade. For example, if the official age of entry into
primary education is 6 years, and if primary education has 6 grades, the intended age for the last grade of primary
education is 11 years. In this case, 14-16 years (11 + 3 = 14 and 11 + 5 = 16) would be the reference age group for
calculation of the primary completion rate.
Purpose
The completion rate indicates how many persons in a given age group have completed primary, lower secondary, or upper
secondary education. It indicates how many children and adolescents enter school on time and progress through the
education system without excessive delays.
Data required
Population in the relevant age group by the highest level of education completed; data on the structure (entrance age
and duration) of each level of education.
Interpretation
A completion rate at or near 100% indicates that all or most children and adolescents have completed a level of
education by the time they are 3 to 5 years older than the official age of entry into the last grade of that level of
education. A low completion rate indicates low or delayed entry into a given level of education, high drop-out, high
repetition, late completion, or a combination of these factors. To identify the causes of low completion rates, it is
necessary to examine other indicators, for example the out-of-school rate, the gross intake ratio to the last grade, and
the percentage of over-age children. When disaggregated by sex, location, and other characteristics, this indicator can
identify specific population groups who are excluded from education.
Calculation method
The number of persons in the relevant age group who have completed the last grade of the given level of education is
expressed as a percentage of the total population (in the survey sample) of the same age group.
Purpose
The completion rate indicates how many persons in a given age group have completed primary, lower secondary, or upper
secondary education. It indicates how many children and adolescents enter school on time and progress through the
education system without excessive delays.
Data source
The data can be obtained from population censuses and household surveys that collect data on the highest level of
education completed by children and young people in a household, through self- or household declaration. In the former
case, each household member above a certain age reports his or her own level of educational attainment. In the latter
case, one person, usually the head of the household or another reference person, indicates the highest grade and/or
level of education completed of each member of the household. Administrative data from Ministries of Education on the
structure of the education system (entrance ages and durations) are also needed. Surveys can serve as a source of data
if they collect information for the age groups of concern. In addition to national surveys, international sample
surveys, such as Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS, http://dhsprogram.com) or Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys
(MICS, http://mics.unicef.org), are another source. These surveys are designed to meet commonly agreed upon
international data needs and aim to assure cross-national comparability, while also providing data for national policy
purposes. These surveys are implemented on a regular basis in selected countries, on average every 3 to 5 years.
Types of disaggregation
By sex; location; wealth quintiles; disability status; other personal and household characteristics (if possible).
Source:
UNESCO (2019)