Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent was 36.8% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom, 2013–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom is 36.8%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.9% on the previous year and up 27.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom peaked at 36.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 28.9%, in 2013.
That places United Kingdom 2nd out of 84 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 28.9% | — |
| 2014 | 29.6% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 33.3% | +12.6% |
| 2020 | 34.4% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | +6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 30.6% | 28.9% | 33.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 34.4% | 36.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 1 Luxembourg 37.1% compare
- 3 Belgium 36.2% compare
- 4 Ireland 35.2% compare
- 5 Switzerland 34.6% compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 102.17 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom?
- Educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom was 36.8% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 36.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.9% in 2013.
- How does United Kingdom rank for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent?
- United Kingdom ranks 2nd out of 84 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release