Ireland vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Ireland
47.4%
in 2023
United States of America
51.1%
in 2024
Ireland rank
3rd
United States of America rank
1st
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Ireland
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 51.1% against 47.4% in Ireland, a difference of 3.7%.
That makes United States of America's figure about 1.1 times Ireland's.
Across all 18 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
Ireland ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 1st of 40 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.4% | 38.8% | 11.4% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 34.6% | 43.6% | 9.0% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 43.3% | 49.4% | 6.1% | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Ireland or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 51.1% against 47.4% in Ireland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Ireland and United States of America?
- 3.7%, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United States of America?
- 18 years are reported by both, from 2006 to 2023.
- How do Ireland and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Ireland ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 1st of 40 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, non-immigrant background, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release