Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France
France: Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary was 37.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France, 1993–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France is 37.2%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France peaked at 37.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 1993.
France ranks 33rd of 129 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 14.3% | — |
| 1994 | 14.8% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 15.5% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 14.9% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 15.5% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 17.0% | +9.5% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 18.2% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 19.1% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 19.7% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 19.8% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 19.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 20.5% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -29.2% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | +54.8% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 22.5% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 24.4% | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 27.2% | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 28.5% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 30.4% | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 29.5% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 30.1% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 31.5% | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 32.2% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 33.7% | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 35.8% | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 36.5% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 37.2% | +1.8% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 37.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 37.8%, 98% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- France's 37.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 35.4%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +54.8% | 14.5% | 22.5% |
| 2006 | -29.2% | 20.5% | 14.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.7% | 14.3% | 17.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 14.5% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.5% | 24.4% | 32.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.8% | 33.7% | 37.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France?
- Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary in France was 37.2% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 37.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 1993.
- How does France rank for educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary?
- France ranks 33rd out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed short-cycle tertiary education.