Australia vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Australia
40.8%
in 2024
United States of America
42.3%
in 2024
Australia rank
11th
United States of America rank
9th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Australia
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 42.3% against 40.8% in Australia, a difference of 1.5%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 21 shared years of data; in 2004 it was United States of America ahead.
Australia ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 9th of 89 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.8% | 28.7% | 3.9% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 35.7% | 34.0% | 1.7% | Australia |
| 2020s | 40.6% | 40.5% | 0.1% | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Australia or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 42.3% against 40.8% in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Australia and United States of America?
- 1.5%, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States of America?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2024.
- How do Australia and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Australia ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 9th of 89 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, female (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release