Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in United States
United States: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 91.6% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
91.6%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
9th
of 142 countries
All-time high
94.7%
in 2019
All-time low
85.2%
in 2005
Years of data
31
1994–2024
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in United States, 1994–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
United States recorded 91.6% for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in United States peaked at 94.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 85.2%, in 2005.
United States ranks 9th of 142 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in United States, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 89.0% | — |
| 1995 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 89.6% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 90.4% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 90.8% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 90.8% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 91.2% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 91.4% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 91.5% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 86.0% | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 85.2% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 85.8% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 92.4% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 86.6% | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 86.7% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 87.1% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 87.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 87.7% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 88.2% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 88.3% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 88.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 89.1% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 89.8% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 89.8% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 94.7% | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 90.9% | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 91.3% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 91.2% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 89.9% | 89.0% | 90.8% | 6 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 85.2% | 92.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.1% | 87.1% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 91.3% | 90.9% | 91.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.06 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.56 million (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 223,288 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 10.46 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 0.1542 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.59 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.34 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in United States?
- Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in United States was 91.6% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 94.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.2% in 2005.
- How does United States rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- United States ranks 9th out of 142 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States 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 upper secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.