Australia vs United States of America: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Australia
50.7%
in 2024
United States of America
50.0%
in 2024
Australia rank
7th
United States of America rank
10th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Australia
- United States of America
How they compare
Australia currently reports 50.7% against 50.0% in United States of America, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 21 shared years of data; in 2004 it was United States of America ahead.
Australia ranks 7th and United States of America ranks 10th of 102 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.6% | 40.2% | 6.6% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 43.7% | 3.0% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 46.9% | 48.9% | 2.0% | 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, Australia or United States of America?
- Australia, at 50.7% against 50.0% in United States of America as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Australia and United States of America?
- 0.7%, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States of America?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2024.
- How do Australia and United States of America rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Australia ranks 7th and United States of America ranks 10th of 102 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, urban, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release