Iceland vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Iceland
50.2%
in 2023
United States of America
45.8%
in 2024
Iceland rank
5th
United States of America rank
8th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Iceland
- United States of America
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 50.2% against 45.8% in United States of America, a difference of 4.4%.
That makes Iceland's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Iceland ahead.
Iceland ranks 5th and United States of America ranks 8th of 30 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.8% | 35.1% | 2.7% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 43.4% | 39.3% | 4.1% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 50.0% | 44.6% | 5.5% | Iceland |
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?
- Iceland, at 50.2% against 45.8% in United States of America as of 2023.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Iceland and United States of America?
- 4.4%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and United States of America?
- 15 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 5th and United States of America ranks 8th of 30 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, 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