The 2012 “Education at a Glance” report covers the educational statistics for 34 countries within the OECD and includes information on spending, tuition fees and the participation of adults in education as well as an analysis of the exam systems in different countries.

“High quality education and skills have to be among the number one priorities for governments, for economies and for societies. Supporting the poorest and ensuring equal access is another important pillar in an inclusive education policy strategy”, Angel Gurría, secretary general of the OECD said.

The report from the OECD names Sweden, Ireland, Finland and Australia as countries with great success for providing higher education for children from poor backgrounds.

Moreover, public and private spending on education amongst the 24 out of 31 OECD countries where data is available continued to rise despite the 2008-09 financial downturn.

Almost 90 percent of Norway’s 15-19-year-olds were enrolled in secondary education in 2010. Roughly, fewer than 90 percent of Norwegian children completed these studies.

Portugal came in top with 100 percent, with slightly higher enrollment rates than that of Norway. About 55 and 48 percent of Mexico’s schoolchildren were enrolled in and completed their secondary education, respectively.

The report also found that mixing social backgrounds and entering children into education at an early stage improved the equality of education.

Data shows that the general number of children entering education at an early age has risen over the last few years, with 64 percent of 3-year-olds in 2005, and 69 percent in 2010.

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