Iceland vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Iceland
42.3%
in 2023
United States of America
44.8%
in 2024
Iceland rank
11th
United States of America rank
9th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Iceland
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 44.8% against 42.3% in Iceland, a difference of 2.5%.
That makes United States of America's figure about 1.1 times Iceland's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Iceland ahead.
Iceland ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 9th of 32 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.2% | 35.0% | 1.2% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 37.2% | 38.7% | 1.5% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 42.3% | 43.9% | 1.6% | 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, Iceland or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 44.8% against 42.3% in Iceland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Iceland and United States of America?
- 2.5%, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and United States of America?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Iceland and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Iceland ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 9th of 32 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, 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