Literacy rate: 99%

Numbers in tertiary education: 171,962 students

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Education is free, and compulsory between six and 16. A number of schools are composite, providing both primary and secondary education. New Zealand has one of the highest proportions of the population with tertiary qualifications in the OECD. Nearly all adults are literate, but the standard of literacy is not always very high: a government initiative, More than Words, was launched in 2000.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004