Surfaces of yttria, zirconia, and yttria-stabilized zirconia were studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. An almost threefold increase in the surface yttrium concentration was observed in the yttria-stabilized zirconia samples. The core level binding energies of yttrium, zirconium, and oxygen ions in yttria-stabilized zirconia showed chemical shifts. Valence bands and Auger parameters were monitored for the monoclinic and the tetragonal phases of zirconia. Characteristic differences were observed for the two phases due to their different oxygen coordination. The results were used to identify surface phase transitions which were difficult to detect by x-ray diffraction.