List of countries by tertiary education attainment

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These are lists of countries by number of people who attained tertiary education.

Tertiary education is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including universities as well as institutions that teach specific capacities of higher learning such as colleges, technical training institutes, community colleges, nursing schools, research laboratories, centers of excellence, and distance learning centers.

National Statistics

This is a list of the overall proportion of the population who have attained tertiary education (at least ISCED 5) in each country. Whenever possible, the proportion is calculated from only those aged 25 and above, as this largely excludes the people who are still in the process of attaining tertiary education and yields a more accurate percentage.

Country/Territory Year Age Included Population Attained Tertiary Education Ref
# %
Albania 2022 ≥ 25 1,742,061 343,756 19.7
Algeria 2008 ≥ 6 7.7
Angola 2014 ≥ 24 9,300,000 (approx.) 234,676 2.5
Antigua and Barbuda 2011 ≥ 25 48,305 5,101 10.6
Argentina 2022 ≥ 25 28,249,041 5,541,310 19.6
Armenia 2022 ≥ 25 2,052,168 561,212 27.3
Aruba 2010 ≥ 25 66,180 15,318 23.1
Australia 2021 ≥ 25 16,173,871 7,011,329 43.3
Austria 2021 ≥ 25 6,740,769 1,709,681 25.3
Azerbaijan 2019 ≥ 25 6,260,769 1,086,985 17.4
Bahamas 2010 ≥ 25 197,354 45,095 22.8
Bahrain 2020 ≥ 25 1,018,593 333,448 32.7
Bangladesh 2022 ≥ 25 86,349,180 7,367,720 8.5
Barbados 2010 ≥ 15 181,997 28,774 15.8
Belarus 2019 ≥ 25 6,889,605 1,950,002 28.3
Belgium 2021 ≥ 25 7,757,249 2,521,874 32.5
Belize 2010 ≥ 25 139,160 7,687 5.5
Benin 2002 ≥ 15 1.9
Bermuda 2016 ≥ 25 48,062 26,489 55.1
Bhutan 2017 ≥ 6 655,003 59,052 9.0
Bolivia 2012 ≥ 19 5,919,871 1,431,681 24.2
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2013 ≥ 25 2,516,642 350,140 13.9
Brazil 2024 ≥ 25 142,271,000 29,236,000 20.5
British Virgin Islands 2010 ≥ 0 25,341 5,939 23.4
Brunei 2021 ≥ 15 334,709 60,730 18.1
Bulgaria 2021 ≥ 7 6,106,986 1,560,028 25.5
Burkina Faso 2019 ≥ 25 6,544,840 216,000 (approx.) 3.3
Cape Verde 2022 ≥ 4 455,178 32,127 7.1
Cambodia 2019 ≥ 25 6,852,692 320,671 13.9
Canada 2021 ≥ 25 26,154,860 13,762,145 52.6
Cayman Islands 2021 ≥ 15 56,455 22,368 39.6
Central African Republic 2003 ≥ 10 0.4
Chad 2009 ≥ 3 9,384,205 76,946 0.8
Chile 2024 ≥ 15 15,205,784 5,711,299 37.6
China 2020 ≥ 25 1,008,768,971 162,631,830 16.1
Colombia 2018 ≥ 5 40,428,901 8,677,016 21.5
Comoros 2017 ≥ 3 582,199 55,223 9.5
Costa Rica 2022 ≥ 17 30.7
Croatia 2021 ≥ 25 2,920,444 761,832 26.1
Cuba 2012 ≥ 25 7,713,979 1,103,992 14.3
Curaçao 2023 ≥ 15 126,175 24,009 19.0
Cyprus 2021 ≥ 15 756,006 262,317 34.7
Czech Republic 2021 ≥ 25 7,865,508 1,508,534 19.2
Denmark 2024 25 - 69 3,363,717 1,516,970 45.1
Djibouti 2024 ≥ 5 882,594 66,768 7.6
Dominica 2011 ≥ 25 41,541 7,421 17.9
Dominican Republic 2022 ≥ 25 5,719,910 1,553,934 27.2
Ecuador 2022 ≥ 25 9,596,261 2,251,983 23.4
Egypt 2017 ≥ 25 45,099,314 7,439,798 16.5
El Salvador 2024 ≥ 25 3,627,212 524,742 14.5
Estonia 2021 ≥ 25 961,655 306,472 31.9
Ethiopia 2007 ≥ 5 62,960,822 486,817 0.8
Equatorial Guinea 2024 ≥ 15 989,546 71,000 (approx.) 7.2
Faroe Islands 2011 ≥ 25 31,265 10,145 32.4
Federated States of Micronesia 2010 ≥ 25 44,797 5,179 11.6
Finland 2023 ≥ 25 4,148,592 1,588,774 38.3
France 2024 25 - 64 43.2
Gabon 2013 ≥ 15 12.7
Gambia 2013 ≥ 12 1,195,362 36,990 3.1
Georgia 2014 ≥ 25 2,492,021 806,945 32.4
Germany 2024 ≥ 25 62,747,000 19,987,000 31.9
Ghana 2021 ≥ 15 19,873,607 1,535,945 7.7
Gibraltar 2012 ≥ 25 22,336 4,340 19.4
Greece 2021 ≥ 15 9,065,506 2,208,823 24.4
Greenland 2023 25 - 74 36,490 5,842 16.0
Grenada 2011 ≥ 15 79,661 16,003 20.1
Guatemala 2018 ≥ 25 6,752,100 543,315 8.0
Guinea 2014 ≥ 15 5,787,192 243,000 (approx.) 4.2
Guinea Bissau 2009 ≥ 6 598,946 5,688 0.9
Guyana 2012 ≥ 15 504,325 39,093 7.8
Haiti 2003 ≥ 25 3,518,910 63,798 1.8
Honduras 2013 ≥ 25 3,530,843 242,544 6.9
Hong Kong 2021 ≥ 25 5,700,078 1,868,783 32.8
Hungary 2022 ≥ 25 7,215,169 1,779,601 24.7
Iceland 2021 ≥ 25 244,654 84,770 34.6
India 2011 ≥ 15 836,017,747 68,288,971 8.1
Indonesia 2022 ≥ 25 164,922,951 17,748,543 10.8
Ireland 2022 ≥ 25 2,998,525 1,473,718 49.1
Israel 2018 ≥ 25 4,933,600 1,775,000 36.0
Italy 2022 ≥ 25 45,819,650 8,427,490 18.4
Jamaica 2011 ≥ 25 1,408,708 194,160 13.8
Japan 2020 ≥ 25 82,225,982 34,327,168 41.7
Jersey 2021 ≥ 16 86,791 33,376 38.5
Jordan 2015 ≥ 24/25 4,327,907 1,212,187 28.0
Kazakhstan 2021 ≥ 25 11,936,493 3,424,783 28.7
Kenya 2019 ≥ 3 36,038,346 1,252,716 3.5
Kiribati 2020 ≥ 15 76,514 2,945 3.9
Kosovo 2024 ≥ 10 1,360,584 216,609 15.9
Kyrgyzstan 2022 ≥ 15 4,645,714 1,139,609 24.5
Laos 2015 ≥ 10 4,994,656 398,958 8.0
Latvia 2021 ≥ 25 1,390,240 482,251 34.7
Liberia 2022 ≥ 3 4,955,227 215,766 4.3
Libya 2006 ≥ 10 4,168,338 623,191 15.0
Liechtenstein 2020 ≥ 15 33,360 9,987 29.9
Lithuania 2020 ≥ 15 2,370,200 832,000 35.1
Luxembourg 2021 ≥ 25 469,013 171,423 36.5
Macao 2021 ≥ 25 418,160 133,499 31.9
Macedonia 2021 ≥ 25 1,278,188 287,045 22.5
Malawi 2018 ≥ 5 12,108,505 202,037 1.7
Maldives 2022 ≥ 25 212,730 62,060 29.2
Mali 2022 ≥ 15 11,280,253 492,937 4.4
Malta 2022 ≥ 15 455,430 116,830 25.7
Marshall Islands 2021 ≥ 25 18,676 3,488 18.7
Mauritania 2013 ≥ 10 2,385,160 50,905 2.1
Mauritius 2022 ≥ 25 870,341 109,377 12.6
Mayotte 2021 ≥ 15 12.3
Mexico 2020 ≥ 25 72,655,542 13,638,509 18.8
Moldova 2014 ≥ 25 1,749,152 309,755 17.7
Mongolia 2020 ≥ 25 1,712,149 584,848 34.2
Montenegro 2023 ≥ 25 440,553 128,599 29.2
Morocco 2024 ≥ 0 36,828,330 3,760,000 (approx.) 10.2
Mozambique 2017 ≥ 25 9,065,684 190,368 2.1
Myanmar 2014 ≥ 25 26,923,273 2,411,222 9.0
Namibia 2023 ≥ 15 1,214,249 146,561 12.1
  Nepal 2021 ≥ 15 21,049,003 1,371,761 6.5
Netherlands 2023 15 - 75 13,505,330 4,390,900 32.5
New Zealand 2023 ≥ 25 3,898,608 1,566,936 40.2
Nicaragua 2005 ≥ 25 2,077,673 207,350 10.0
Niger 2012 ≥ 25 5,188,405 99,400 1.9
Nigeria 2007 ≥ 25 53,360,995 9,088,478 17.0
Norway 2024 ≥ 25 4,023,987 1,815,792 45.1
Oman 2020 ≥ 25 2,711,901 468,875 17.3
Pakistan 2023 ≥ 25 98,301,519 8,696,796 8.8
Palau 2020 ≥ 25 12,118 3,829 31.6
Palestine 2017 ≥ 25 1,883,344 546,748 29.0
Panama 2023 ≥ 25 2,378,027 713,401 30.0
Paraguay 2022 ≥ 25 3,220,932 809,985 25.1
Peru 2017 ≥ 25 16,696,619 4,298,893 25.7
Philippines 2020 ≥ 25 54,669,916 18,633,973 34.1
Poland 2021 ≥ 25 27,777,217 7,743,922 27.9
Puerto Rico 2022 ≥ 25 2,400,393 949,883 39.6
Portugal 2021 ≥ 25 7,923,791 1,645,137 20.8
Romania 2021 ≥ 2 18,706,879 3,047,113 16.3
Russia 2021 ≥ 25 90,263,599 28,619,810 31.7
Rwanda 2022 ≥ 25 5,601,492 310,397 5.5
Qatar 2020 ≥ 25 2,095,843 722,977 34.5
Saint Lucia 2011 ≥ 0 162,965 24,953 15.3
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2012 ≥ 15 77,858 4,403 5.7
Samoa 2021 ≥ 15 126,131 20,460 16.2
San Marino 2025 ≥ 0 27,597 5,163 18.7
São Tomé and Príncipe 2012 ≥ 25 69,689 2,202 3.2
Saudi Arabia 2024 ≥ 25 42.6
Senegal 2023 ≥ 15 6.4
Serbia 2022 ≥ 25 4,996,864 903,163 18.1
Seychelles 2022 ≥ 15 65,511 12,772 19.5
Sierra Leone 2015 ≥ 6 5,892,865 98,488 1.7
Singapore 2020 ≥ 25 2,977,767 1,438,788 48.3
Slovakia 2021 ≥ 25 3,849,567 1,217,021 31.6
Slovenia 2024 ≥ 25 1,604,327 459,281 28.6
Solomon Islands 2019 ≥ 25 313,795 40,244 12.8
South Africa 2022 ≥ 20 37,577,988 4,602,765 12.2
South Korea 2020 ≥ 25 38,342,229 16,016,148 41.8
Spain 2021 ≥ 25 35,892,336 12,025,256 33.5
Sri Lanka 2012 ≥ 15 15,227,773 499,563 3.3
Suriname 2012 ≥ 15 351,453 28,345 8.1
Swaziland 2017 ≥ 10 13.0
Sweden 2024 ≥ 25 7,408,799 2,090,548 - 3,254,678 28.1 - 43.9
 Switzerland 2023 ≥ 25 6,320,430 2,622,999 41.5
Syria 2004 ≥ 25 6,643,167 695,442 10.5
Tajikistan 2020 ≥ 25 4,427,513 374,288 8.5
Tanzania 2022 ≥ 15 34,475,324 1,852,596 5.4
Thailand 2010 ≥ 25 43,703,786 7,136,872 16.3
Timor Leste 2022 ≥ 15 873,930 97,771 11.2
Tunisia 2014 ≥ 10 9,111,069 1,097,440 12.1
Turkey 2021 ≥ 6 77,444,465 13,446,439 17.4
Turkmenistan 2022 ≥ 25 3,854,184 369,545 9.6
Tuvalu 2017 ≥ 25 5,264 851 16.2
Uganda 2024 ≥ 10 31,312,980 1,774,614 5.7
United Kingdom 2021 ≥ 25 47,527,528 17,508,672 36.8
United States 2022 ≥ 25 226,600,992 97,567,079 43.1
Uruguay 2023 ≥ 25 25.0
Vanuatu 2020 ≥ 15 179,302 3,478 1.9
Vietnam 2019 ≥ 15 12.6
Zambia 2022 ≥ 3 3.8
Zimbabwe 2022 ≥ 4 12,646,734 662,975 5.2
  1. Excluding invalid categories (e.g. "unknown" or "not stated") whenever possible.
  2. Referred to completion whenever possible.
  3. Interpret with caution: excluding people who were still in school.
  4. Including people who completed College for higher vocational education, the 5th year of which was considered non-university tertiary education.
  5. Of the 168,192 people above the age of 15 not attending school full time, 28,774 attained tertiary education. Another 13,005 people were attending school full time, amongst which the completion rate of tertiary education was not reported. Hence this is likely an underestimate.
  6. Including Mainland China only.
  7. Excluding Greenland and Faroe Islands, which are territories of the Danish Realm outside of (Metropolitan) Denmark.
  8. Including those who had studied in higher technical and technological institutes for at least three years or universities for at least four years.
  9. Percentage computed by excluding 0.4% of unknown answers.
  10. Including Metropolitan France and all of the Overseas France but Mayotte.
  11. Of the 96,709,823 people aged 25 and above, 96,373,910 had graduated, 90,063 never went to school, 245,829 were still in school, and the educational status for 21 people was unknown.
    Of the 96,373,910 who had graduated, the education attainment of 81,901,699 people was known, and of them 34,235,370 attained tertiary education.
    Of the 245,829 people aged 25 or above who were still in school, the education attainment of 243,220 were known, and of them 91,798 were in graduate school (i.e. completed a tertiary degree already).
    As a result, in total, the educational attainment for 82,225,982 people aged 25 or above were known, and of them 34,327,168 attained tertiary education.
  12. Of the 4,267,495 people aged 25 and above not enrolled in schools, 1,197,236 people attained tertiary education, and of the 60,412 people aged 24 and above still enrolled in schools, 14,951 were enrolled in higher diploma or above.
  13. Interpret with caution: likely to be an underestimate due to the exclusion of Middle Level/Technical Vocational Education.
  14. Of the 31,728 people aged 25 and above who were attending school, 11,091 attained tertiary education. Of the 1,851,616 people aged 25 and above who were not attending school, 536,357 attained tertiary education.
  15. Including Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
  16. Excluding the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, which was under the de facto control of Kosovo since 2008.
  17. Population who completed a post-secondary education for less than three years (e.g. short cycle tertiary education, post-secondary non-tertiary education) is listed a group without further breakdown: the group partially includes those who have attained tertiary education; both figures are included due to the great variation between them.
  18. Including 15,185,055 people in England and Wales, 1,876,121 in Scotland, and 447,496 people in Northern Ireland who attained tertiary education. Excluding Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and all British Overseas Territories.
  19. Excluding all organized, unincorporated territories of the United States.

2022 OECD data

This is a list of countries by the proportions of 25- to 64-year-olds having completed tertiary education as published by the OECD. This list includes non-OECD member countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, and South Africa.

Educational attainment amongst OECD countries (Age 25-64)
Country Tertiary (%) Upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary (%) Below upper secondary (%)
India 12.947348 9.3132896 77.739365
China 18.535316 18.090559 63.374126
Indonesia 13.056925 29.679256 57.263821
Mexico 20.636181 23.147909 56.215908
Costa Rica 25.339333 19.751112 54.909557
South Africa 13.914134 31.353258 54.732609
Turkey 25 21.666508 53.333492
Brazil 20.966524 38.093204 40.940269
Portugal 31.476944 28.870346 39.65271
Colombia 28.273304 33.85461 37.872086
Italy 20.322079 42.715874 36.962048
Spain 41.112835 23.069155 35.818008
Argentina 24.765341 41.776196 33.458462
Chile 31.439775 40.534103 28.026119
Romania 19.670143 57.24781 23.082047
Iceland 43.562168 34.23608 22.201754
OECD average 40.44 40.23 19.75
Greece 35.10413 45.172092 19.723778
New Zealand 39.841537 41.116131 19.042334
Luxembourg 51.488628 29.548542 18.962828
Netherlands 44.659809 36.580338 18.759853
United Kingdom 51.316002 30.120853 18.563143
Denmark 42.083092 39.712208 18.204699
Belgium 45.769352 36.669788 17.56086
Norway 48.096764 34.542866 17.360371
France 41.643211 41.655991 16.700796
EU 37.67 45.74 16.59
Germany 32.515541 51.024639 16.459822
Bulgaria 29.78005 54.224617 15.995332
Australia 51.495899 33.743496 14.760603
Sweden 48.533794 37.094448 14.371758
Austria 35.553291 50.394012 14.052697
 Switzerland 44.696388 41.366817 13.936794
Hungary 29.406132 57.612774 12.981095
Ireland 54.386276 33.247417 12.366305
Israel 50.619568 37.565193 11.81524
Finland 42.637047 46.470798 10.892154
Latvia 39.4673 49.714275 10.818428
Estonia 42.100475 47.716484 10.18304
Slovenia 40.112064 50.93195 8.9559851
South Korea 52.802269 38.428757 8.7689714
United States 50.017204 41.824577 8.1582184
Lithuania 46.529728 46.385326 7.0849438
Canada 62.743938 30.415928 6.8401341
Poland 33.915615 59.553993 6.5303903
Slovakia 29.216726 64.280624 6.5026503
Czech Republic 26.67 67.78 5.55


2019 OECD data

This list includes non-OECD member countries: Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.


Country 		Age
25–64
(%) 		Age
Year
Non-OECD
25–34
(%)		 35–44
(%)		 45–54
(%)		 55–64
(%)
Australia 42 48 46 38 33 2014
Austria 30 38 33 27 21 2014
Belgium 37 44 42 34 26 2014
Brazil 14 15 14 14 11 2013
Canada 54 58 61 51 45 2014
Chile 36 38 34 28 26 2014
China 60 65 47 25 10 2024
Colombia 22 28 23 18 16 2014
Costa Rica 18 21 19 17 17 2014
Czech Republic 22 30 21 20 16 2014
Denmark 36 42 41 33 29 2014
Estonia 38 40 39 35 36 2014
Finland 42 40 50 44 34 2014
France 32 44 39 26 20 2013
Germany 27 28 29 26 25 2014
Greece 28 39 27 26 21 2014
Hungary 23 32 25 20 17 2014
Iceland 37 41 42 36 29 2014
Indonesia 12 16 9 8 4 2018
Ireland 41 51 49 34 24 2014
Israel 49 46 53 48 47 2014
Italy 17 24 19 13 12 2014
Japan 48 59 53 47 35 2014
Latvia 30 39 31 27 23 2014
Lithuania 37 53 38 30 28 2014
Luxembourg 46 53 56 40 32 2014
Mexico 19 25 17 16 13 2014
Netherlands 34 44 38 30 27 2014
New Zealand 36 40 41 32 29 2014
Norway 42 49 49 36 32 2014
Poland 27 43 32 18 14 2014
Portugal 22 31 26 17 13 2014
Russia 54 58 55 53 50 2013
Saudi Arabia 22 26 22 18 14 2013
Slovakia 20 30 21 15 14 2014
Slovenia 29 38 35 24 18 2014
South Africa 7 5 7 8 7 2012
South Korea 45 68 56 33 17 2014
Spain 35 41 43 30 21 2014
Sweden 39 46 46 32 30 2014
 Switzerland 40 46 45 38 31 2014
Turkey 17 25 16 10 10 2014
Taiwan 45 X X X X 2015
United Kingdom 42 49 46 38 35 2014
United States 44 46 47 43 41 2014

Countries by level of tertiary education

This is a list of countries by the level of tertiary education completed by 25–64 year olds as of the year 2022.

Short-cycle tertiary Bachelor's or equivalent Master's or equivalent Doctoral or equivalent Total
Australia 12 29 9 2 51
Austria 15 6 14 1 36
Belgium 1 25 19 1 46
Canada 26 24 12 63
Chile 10 19 2 31
Colombia 28 28
Costa Rica 7 16 3 25
Czech Republic 0 7 19 1 27
Denmark 5 21 15 2 42
Estonia 6 15 21 1 42
Finland 8 18 16 1 43
France 14 12 14 1 42
Germany 1 18 12 2 33
Greece 0 25 8 1 35
Hungary 1 15 13 0 29
Iceland 4 21 17 1 44
Ireland 10 28 15 2 54
Israel 11 24 14 1 51
Italy 0 6 14 1 20
Japan 21 35 56
Korea 15 34 4 53
Latvia 4 17 18 0 39
Lithuania 30 16 1 47
Luxembourg 5 15 29 3 51
Mexico 1 18 2 0 21
Netherlands 2 24 17 1 45
New Zealand 4 30 5 1 40
Norway 12 21 14 1 48
Poland 0 8 25 1 34
Portugal 0 10 21 1 31
Slovakia 0 4 24 1 29
Slovenia 8 12 16 4 40
Spain 13 11 16 1 41
Sweden 10 20 17 2 49
Switzerland 25 17 3 45
Turkey 7 16 2 0 25
United Kingdom 9 26 14 2 51
United States 11 25 12 2 50

See also

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