Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America

United States of America: Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total was 2.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
2.3%
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
5th
of 66 countries
All-time high
2.3%
in 2024
All-time low
1.0%
in 1994
Years of data
31
1994–2024

Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America, 1994–2024

00.511.522.51994200920241994: 0.997 cumulative1995: 1 cumulative1996: 1 cumulative1997: 1.1 cumulative1998: 1.1 cumulative1999: 1.2 cumulative2000: 1.2 cumulative2001: 1.2 cumulative2002: 1.2 cumulative2003: 1.2 cumulative2004: 1.3 cumulative2005: 1.3 cumulative2006: 1.3 cumulative2007: 1.3 cumulative2008: 1.3 cumulative2009: 1.3 cumulative2010: 1.4 cumulative2011: 1.5 cumulative2012: 1.6 cumulative2013: 1.7 cumulative2014: 1.8 cumulative2015: 1.7 cumulative2016: 1.9 cumulative2017: 1.9 cumulative2018: 2 cumulative2019: 2 cumulative2020: 2.1 cumulative2021: 2.1 cumulative2022: 2.1 cumulative2023: 2.2 cumulative2024: 2.3 cumulative

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.

Analysis

The most recent figure for educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America is 2.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.6% on the previous year and up 29.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America peaked at 2.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1994.

United States of America ranks 5th of 66 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) in United States of America, 1994 to 2024.
Year cumulative Change
1994 1.0%
1995 1.0% +3.3%
1996 1.0% +1.3%
1997 1.1% +2.1%
1998 1.1% +4.8%
1999 1.2% +5.7%
2000 1.2% +1.2%
2001 1.2% +4.0%
2002 1.2% -2.0%
2003 1.2% -0.1%
2004 1.3% +5.0%
2005 1.3% +0.7%
2006 1.3% +3.0%
2007 1.3% -3.6%
2008 1.3% -0.0%
2009 1.3% +1.1%
2010 1.4% +8.6%
2011 1.5% +6.7%
2012 1.6% +3.9%
2013 1.7% +7.9%
2014 1.8% +5.5%
2015 1.7% -3.9%
2016 1.9% +9.0%
2017 1.9% +2.4%
2018 2.0% +7.0%
2019 2.0% -0.7%
2020 2.1% +3.4%
2021 2.1% +1.4%
2022 2.1% +1.1%
2023 2.2% +2.5%
2024 2.3% +4.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.1% 1.0% 1.2% 6
2000s 1.3% 1.2% 1.3% 10
2010s 1.7% 1.4% 2.0% 10
2020s 2.2% 2.1% 2.3% 5

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 2 Luxembourg 2.8% compare
  2. 3 Türkiye 2.7% compare
  3. 4 Slovenia 2.4% compare
  4. 6 Germany 1.9% compare
  5. 7 Sweden 1.8% compare
  6. 8 Australia 1.8% compare

See the full ranking of 66 places →

More education data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America?
Educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America was 2.3% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 2024.
What is the lowest educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1994.
How does United States of America rank for educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total?
United States of America ranks 5th out of 66 countries with data for 2024.
Is educational attainment, doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.8%. 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, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-doctoral-or-equivalent-population-25-total-percent-cumulative/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative)
Unit
cumulative
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
66 places, 683 data points, 1994–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Doctoral or equivalent.