Educational attainment, at least Master's or equivalent, population in United States of America
United States of America: Educational attainment, at least Master's or equivalent, population was 15.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least Master'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
The most recent figure for educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population in United States of America is 15.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 35.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population in United States of America peaked at 15.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1994.
United States of America ranks 17th of 77 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 Master's or equivalent, population in United States of America, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 6.0% | — |
| 1995 | 6.2% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 6.6% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 7.0% | +6.6% |
| 1999 | 7.2% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 7.4% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 8.3% | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 8.5% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 8.8% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 9.3% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 9.6% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 9.9% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 10.2% | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 12.0% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 12.6% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 12.8% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 13.2% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 13.8% | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 14.8% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 15.1% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 15.4% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 15.8% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.6% | 6.0% | 7.2% | 6 |
| 2000s | 8.7% | 7.4% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.9% | 10.2% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.1% | 14.5% | 15.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More education data for United States of America
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population in United States of America?
- Educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population in United States of America was 15.8% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1994.
- How does United States of America rank for educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population?
- United States of America ranks 17th out of 77 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least master's or equivalent, population rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.8%. 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 Master'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 Master's or equivalent.