Sweden vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Sweden
42.5%
in 2023
United States of America
42.3%
in 2024
Sweden rank
8th
United States of America rank
9th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Sweden
- United States of America
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 42.5% against 42.3% in United States of America, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 20 shared years of data; in 2004 it was Sweden ahead.
Sweden ranks 8th and United States of America ranks 9th of 89 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sweden | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.2% | 28.7% | 0.5% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 34.5% | 34.0% | 0.5% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 41.0% | 40.0% | 1.0% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Sweden or United States of America?
- Sweden, at 42.5% against 42.3% in United States of America as of 2023.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Sweden and United States of America?
- 0.2%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United States of America?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2023.
- How do Sweden and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Sweden ranks 8th 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