Knowledge and skills

Educational attainment of the adult population

Definition

The proportion of adults aged 25–64 years with an educational attainment of at least upper secondary school level.

The proportion of adults aged 25–64 years with an educational attainment of Bachelor’s degree or higher.

RelevanceTop

The educational attainment of the adult population is an indicator of the skills available in the economy. The level of formal educational qualifications in the population is a commonly used proxy for the stock of “human capital”, ie the skills available in the population and labour force. At least upper secondary school level includes any formal qualification at NCEA Level 2 (or equivalent) or higher. Bachelor’s degree or higher includes Bachelor’s degrees, Postgraduate Certificates or Diplomas, Master’s degrees, and Doctorates.

In the year ended December 2014, 74.3 percent of those aged 25–64 years (or 1,685,200 people) had a qualification of at least NCEA Level 2 (L2). The proportion with at least NCEA L2 has generally been increasing over the last 10 years.

The proportion of those aged 25–64 years who had a qualification of Bachelor's degree or higher was 29.8 percent (or 675,800 people), an increase from 29.0 percent (or 650,500 people) in the year ended December 2013. The proportion with Bachelor's degree or higher has generally been increasing over the last 10 years.

Historically, those with at least NCEA L2 reached a peak of 74.7 percent in 2011 and 2012 (1,669,000 people in 2011). The lowest proportion of those with at least NCEA L2 recorded was 49.6 percent in 1986. Coding changes in 2013 may, however, have impacted on this result.13

Those with a Bachelor's degree or higher reached a peak of 29.8 percent in 2014 (675,800 people). The lowest proportion of those with a Bachelor's degree or higher recorded was 6.3 percent in 1986.

Figure K4.1 – Proportion of adults aged 25–64 years with an educational qualification
of at least NCEA Level 2 and Bachelor's degree or higher, 1986–2014

Figure K4.1 – Proportion of adults aged 25–64 years with an educational qualification of at least NCEA Level 2 and Bachelor's degree or higher, 1986–2014

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey
Notes: Year ended December. Qualifications and coding have changed over the years presented. The time series provided is a best fit.

Age and sex differencesTop

In the year ended December 2014, the proportion of males aged 25–64 years with a qualification of at least NCEA L2 was 75.5 percent. This compares with 73.3 percent for females. The proportion of females with a qualification of Bachelor's degree or higher was 32.2 percent, compared with 27.2 percent for males.

Sex differences in educational attainment have narrowed over time, with females catching up to males for qualifications of at least NCEA L2. In 1986, the gap between males and females was 14.6 percentage points in favour of males, compared with 2.2 percent in 2014. Females have overtaken males for qualifications at Bachelor's degree or higher. In 1986, the gap favoured males at 4.2 percentage points, compared with a 5.0 percentage point gap in 2014 favouring females.

Figure K4.2 – Proportion of adults aged 25–64 years with an educational qualification
of at least NCEA Level 2 and Bachelor's degree or higher, by sex, 1986–2014

Figure K4.2 – Proportion of adults aged 25–64 years with an educational qualification of at least NCEA Level 2 and Bachelor's degree or higher, by sex, 1986–2014

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey
Notes: Year ended December. Qualifications and coding have changed over the years presented. The time series provided is a best fit.

Younger adults are much more likely to have qualifications of at least NCEA L2 or Bachelor's degree or higher, reflecting ongoing educational improvements for younger cohorts. In the year ended December 2014, 81.4 percent of 25–34 year olds had at least NCEA L2, compared with 65.5 percent of 55–64 year olds. The proportion of those aged 25–34 years with a Bachelor's degree or higher was 35.9 percent, compared with 21.5 percent for 55–64 year olds.

Table K4.1 – Proportion of adults with an educational qualification of at least
NCEA Level 2 and Bachelor's degree or higher, by age group and sex, selected
years 1986–2014

Year 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 Males 25–64 Females 25–64 Total 25–64 Difference male and female
At least NCEA L2
1986 53.4 49.7 46.4 46.2 57.0 42.4 49.6 14.6
1991 59.9 58.3 51.5 43.9 61.3 48.8 55.0 12.5
1996 65.0 64.0 56.9 48.7 65.2 55.3 60.2 9.9
2001 70.6 69.1 65.1 52.4 68.8 62.5 65.6 6.3
2006 77.8 72.6 69.0 56.4 71.6 68.0 69.7 3.6
2011 80.7 78.5 74.0 64.6 75.4 74.2 74.7 1.2
2014 81.4 78.2 71.7 65.5 75.5 73.3 74.3 2.2
Bachelor's degree or higher
1986 7.5 7.1 5.3 4.0 8.4 4.2 6.3 4.2
1991 11.3 12.1 9.0 5.6 12.4 7.8 10.1 4.6
1996 14.5 13.7 11.5 7.3 14.6 10.3 12.4 4.3
2001 17.8 16.7 16.5 8.8 17.0 14.2 15.6 2.8
2006 28.1 23.6 19.9 14.1 21.8 22.0 21.9 -0.2
2011 32.3 27.6 22.2 18.0 23.2 27.0 25.1 -3.8
2014 35.9 35.0 26.3 21.5 27.2 32.2 29.8 -5.0

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey
Notes: Year ended December. Qualifications and coding have changed over the years presented. The time series provided is a best fit.

Ethnic differencesTop

While there have been improvements for all ethnic groups, marked differences in adult educational attainment remain. In the year ended December 2014, the Asian ethnic group had the highest proportion with a qualification of at least NCEA L2 (86.6 percent), followed by the European/Other ethnic group (75.4 percent), Māori (57.1 percent) and Pacific peoples (56.9 percent). Ethnic differences were even more marked for Bachelor's degree or higher. The Asian ethnic group again had the highest proportion (48.8 percent), followed by the European/Other ethnic group (29.0 percent), Māori (15.3 percent) and Pacific peoples (12.7 percent).

Figure K4.3 – Proportion of adults with an educational qualification of at least NCEA
Level 2 and Bachelor's degree or higher, by ethnic group, selected years 1986–2014

Figure K4.3 – Proportion of adults with an educational qualification of at least NCEA Level 2 and Bachelor's degree or higher, by ethnic group, selected years 1986–2014

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey
Notes: Year ended December. For 2007 and earlier people are counted in only one ethnic group (ethnicities are prioritised). From 2008, people can be counted in more than one ethnic group (total response). Caution should be used when comparing the two ethnic series over time.

Regional differencesTop

Wellington had the highest proportion with a qualification of at least NCEA L2 (79.7 percent for the year ended December 2014). Southland had the lowest proportion at 64.0 percent. Wellington also had the highest proportion with a qualification of Bachelor's degree or higher (38.1 percent). Northland had the lowest proportion at 17.3 percent.

International comparisonTop

The OECD provides comparative data for educational attainment although cross-country comparisons can be complex.14 In 2013, the OECD reported that 71 percent of 25–64 year old New Zealanders had at least upper secondary education. This compares with an OECD median of 82 percent across 27 countries with comparable data. New Zealand ranked 23rd. For Bachelor's and above, the OECD figure for New Zealand in 2013 was 27 percent, the same as the median figure for OECD countries with comparable data, with New Zealand ranking 14th out of 28 countries.

Data for this section can be found at: www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/documents/2016/k4.xlsx