Australia vs United States: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Australia
35.4%
in 2024
United States
39.1%
in 2024
Australia rank
10th
United States rank
7th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Australia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 39.1% against 35.4% in Australia, a difference of 3.7%.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 21 shared years of data; in 2004 it was United States ahead.
Australia ranks 10th and United States ranks 7th of 95 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.8% | 27.3% | 4.6% | United States |
| 2010s | 29.0% | 31.7% | 2.7% | United States |
| 2020s | 33.8% | 37.2% | 3.4% | United States |
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?
- United States, at 39.1% against 35.4% in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Australia and United States?
- 3.7%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2024.
- How do Australia and United States rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Australia ranks 10th and United States ranks 7th of 95 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, rural, 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