Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's … Bachelor both in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's … Bachelor both was 39.6% 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 39.6%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.2% on the previous year and up 39.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent in United Kingdom peaked at 39.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 28.4%, in 2013.
United Kingdom ranks 6th of 112 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Educational attainment rate, completed Bachelor's … Bachelor both in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 28.4% | — |
| 2014 | 29.3% | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 33.9% | +15.6% |
| 2020 | 37.3% | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 39.6% | +6.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 39.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.7%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 39.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.4%, 1.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 30.5% | 28.4% | 33.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 38.4% | 37.3% | 39.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 3 Luxembourg 41.9% compare
- 4 Switzerland 41.6% compare
- 5 Lithuania 41.3% compare
- 7 United States 39.1% compare
- 8 Israel 38.3% compare
- 9 Belgium 37.4% compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (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 39.6% 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 39.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.4% in 2013.
- How does United Kingdom rank for educational attainment rate, completed bachelor's or equivalent?
- United Kingdom ranks 6th out of 112 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 39.5%. 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, 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