Ireland vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent
Ireland
47.5%
in 2020
United States of America
37.4%
in 2024
Ireland rank
3rd
United States of America rank
6th
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent over time
- Ireland
- United States of America
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 47.5% against 37.4% in United States of America, a difference of 10.1%.
That makes Ireland's figure about 1.3 times United States of America's.
Across all 7 years both countries report, Ireland has been ahead every year.
Ireland ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 6th of 32 countries.
Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 41.5% | 33.8% | 7.7% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 47.5% | 36.8% | 10.7% | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent, Ireland or United States of America?
- Ireland, at 47.5% against 37.4% in United States of America as of 2020.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent between Ireland and United States of America?
- 10.1%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United States of America?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 2014 to 2020.
- How do Ireland and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent?
- Ireland ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 6th of 32 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, immigrant background, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release