Canada vs United States: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education
Canada
49.3%
in 2021
United States
49.8%
in 2024
Canada rank
8th
United States rank
6th
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 49.8% against 49.3% in Canada, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 12 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 8th and United States ranks 6th of 129 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.8% | 32.8% | 14.0% | Canada |
| 2000s | 48.5% | 36.3% | 12.2% | Canada |
| 2010s | 52.4% | 41.8% | 10.6% | Canada |
| 2020s | 49.3% | 47.9% | 1.4% | 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?
- United States, at 49.8% against 49.3% in Canada as of 2024.
- What is the difference in educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education between Canada and United States?
- 0.5%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2021.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Canada ranks 8th and United States ranks 6th of 129 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, 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