Decline and Fall - how the UK is being left behind in education

Published November 2009

Analysis of the most recent data on young people in education from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that the UK has been overtaken by countries such as Portugal, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Greece in recent years.

The study shows that the UK has plummeted down international league tables ranking the percentage of young people in education and warns that unless the UK acts decisively now it risks propping up the table and becoming the poor man of the developed world. Universities and colleges are worth £87bn a year to the UK economy, yet the UK is seeing a decline in the percentage of people benefiting from them.

Analysis of the percentage of people aged 15-19 and 20-29 in education has revealed that the UK has slipped from comfortable mid-table into the relegation zone for developed countries. The countries with lowest percentage of young people in education in the developed world are Turkey, Mexico, the UK and Luxembourg (figures for Japan and Canada were unavailable). Twenty-four countries have a higher percentage of young people in education than the UK.

15-19 year-olds

In 1995 the UK was ranked 19th out of the 30 OECD countries with 72% of 15-19 year-olds in education - the same proportion as America - and just 2% below average. However by 2007 the UK only had 71% of 15-19 year-olds in education and was down to 26th out of 30, ahead of only Mexico and Turkey as data was unavailable for Japan and Canada.

There is a real risk of both Mexico and Turkey overtaking the UK and leaving it bottom of the table. In the 12 years that has seen the UK's participation drop by 1%, both Mexico and Turkey have seen considerable rises.

France was the only other nation to see a fall in the percentage of 15-19 year-olds in education during that time. However, despite its fall, France still has a healthy 86% of 15-19 year-olds in education, above the OECD 2007 average of 82%. The UK, by contrast, is now 11% off the average and Portugal, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Greece, who all had a lower percentage of 15-19 year-olds in education than the UK in 1995 have now all overtaken the UK.

20-29 year-olds

The story is not any more encouraging when figures for people aged 20-29 are analysed. Once again the UK has plummeted down the international league table for people in education. In 1995 18% of 20-29 year-olds in the UK were in education, 12 years later (2007) the figure had, like for the 15-19 year-olds, dropped by 1% (down to 17% for 20-29 year-olds). The drop, coupled with other countries' improved participation rates meant that the UK has dropped from a mi-ranking 15th out of 30 in 1995 down to 25th out of 30 in 2007.

As data was unavailable for Japan and Canada again, this means only three countries are below the UK. Two of them are again Turkey and Mexico, with Luxembourg propping up the table. Luxembourg also scored badly at 15-19 year-olds - it was just one place above the UK. This means that in 2007 the countries with lowest percentage of young people in education in the developed world were Turkey, Mexico, the UK and Luxembourg (with figures for Japan and Canada unavailable). Twenty-four countries have a higher percentage of young people in education than the UK.

Between 1995 and 2007 Poland, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Korea, Ireland, Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic went from having a lower percentage of 20-29 year-olds in education than the UK to a higher percentage.

Conclusions and recommendations

UCU's analysis shows a shocking decline in the UK's standing in the world of education. It has gone from a mid-ranking nation to one at the bottom of the pile and risks being overtaken by the few countries still below it and being left behind the countries that have overtaken it in the past 12 years. Unless urgent and decisive action is taken the UK risks being the poor man of the developed world and ill-prepared for life in the new knowledge economy.

Of equal concern is the fact the countries in the 'second tier' (OECD partner countries Israel, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Estonia and Slovenia) also enjoy a higher percentage of young people in education than the UK and, like the rest of the developed world, are seeing those percentages increase.

UCU believes a real cross-party consensus is needed if the UK is to avoid the indignity of becoming a country with first-world aspirations but third-world levels of participation in education. The old order of education for the elite is no longer a model for success and this study shows how urgently education needs to be put at the top of the agenda.

UCU is starting that debate with the formation of the Make Education Count Westminster network that will bring together key players from across the political divide including MPs, peers, local politicians, unions and other key stakeholders.

November 2009