Canada vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Canada
52.9%
in 2021
United States of America
52.0%
in 2024
Canada rank
5th
United States of America rank
6th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Canada
- United States of America
How they compare
Canada currently reports 52.9% against 52.0% in United States of America, a difference of 0.9%.
Across all 19 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 5th and United States of America ranks 6th of 128 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44.7% | 31.2% | 13.5% | Canada |
| 2000s | 50.0% | 35.9% | 14.0% | Canada |
| 2010s | 58.0% | 42.9% | 15.1% | Canada |
| 2020s | 52.9% | 49.8% | 3.1% | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education, Canada or United States of America?
- Canada, at 52.9% against 52.0% in United States of America as of 2021.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Canada and United States of America?
- 0.9%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States of America?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2021.
- How do Canada and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Canada ranks 5th and United States of America ranks 6th of 128 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, 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