Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population in United States of America
United States of America: Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population was 40.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population in United States of America, 1994–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 40.5% for educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in United States of America peaked at 40.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19.9%, in 1994.
That places United States of America 10th out of 109 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population in United States of America, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 19.9% | — |
| 1995 | 20.6% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 21.4% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 22.0% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 22.8% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 23.5% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 23.9% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 24.4% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 25.2% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 25.9% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 26.2% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 27.3% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 28.2% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 28.7% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 29.1% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 29.6% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 30.2% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 30.8% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 32.0% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 32.7% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 33.7% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 32.6% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 35.3% | +8.2% |
| 2019 | 36.8% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 38.3% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 36.1% | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 39.0% | +8.0% |
| 2023 | 39.7% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 40.5% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.7% | 19.9% | 23.5% | 6 |
| 2000s | 26.6% | 23.9% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.5% | 29.6% | 36.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.7% | 36.1% | 40.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More education data for United States of America
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in United States of America?
- Educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population in United States of America was 40.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 40.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.9% in 1994.
- How does United States of America rank for educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population?
- United States of America ranks 10th out of 109 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least bachelor's or equivalent, population rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Bachelor's or equivalent.