The line graphs illustrate the proportion of male and female students aged under 18 who continued their secondary education in Norway, the UK, Spain, and Italy between 1996 and 2003.
Overall, participation in secondary education increased in all four countries, except for Norwegian males, whose figure declined slightly by the end of the period. Norway consistently recorded the highest rates for both genders.
Looking first at females, Norway began at 90% in 1996 and rose gradually to 95% by 1999. After a sharp climb to 100% in 2000, the figure remained unchanged until 2003. In Italy, the percentage fluctuated modestly between 69% and 72% before ending at just above 70%. Spain showed a slow increase from around 67% to 70% by 2002, followed by a sharp rise to roughly three-quarters in the final year. Meanwhile, in the UK, the proportion rose substantially from 65% in 1996 to 85% by 2000 and then stayed stable.
Turning to males, Norway started at 90% and reached full participation by 2000, but this dropped to just over 90% in 2003. In the UK, the figure climbed from 65% to 85% by 2000 and remained steady thereafter. Italian males saw a gradual rise from about 55% to 68%, while Spain’s rate grew slightly from 52% to 55% by 2000 and then levelled off.