Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States

United States: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or was 98.8% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
98.8%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
12th
of 39 countries
All-time high
99.5%
in 2021
All-time low
97.6%
in 1994
Years of data
31
1994–2024

Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States, 1994–2024

0204060801001994200920241994: 97.6 %1995: 97.8 %1996: 97.9 %1997: 98 %1998: 98.2 %1999: 98.3 %2000: 98.3 %2001: 98.4 %2002: 98.5 %2003: 98.5 %2004: 98.7 %2005: 98.7 %2006: 98.8 %2007: 98.9 %2008: 98.9 %2009: 99 %2010: 99.1 %2011: 99.1 %2012: 99.1 %2013: 99.3 %2014: 99.3 %2015: 99.2 %2016: 99.2 %2017: 99.3 %2018: 99.4 %2019: 99.4 %2020: 99.5 %2021: 99.5 %2022: 98.6 %2023: 98.7 %2024: 98.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States is 98.8%, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States peaked at 99.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 97.6%, in 1994.

United States ranks 12th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States, year by year

Annual values for Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, non-immigrant background, male (%) in United States, 1994 to 2024.
Year % Change
1994 97.6%
1995 97.8% +0.2%
1996 97.9% +0.2%
1997 98.0% +0.1%
1998 98.2% +0.2%
1999 98.3% +0.1%
2000 98.3% +0.1%
2001 98.4% +0.1%
2002 98.5% +0.1%
2003 98.5% +0.1%
2004 98.7% +0.2%
2005 98.7% +0.0%
2006 98.8% +0.1%
2007 98.9% +0.1%
2008 98.9% +0.0%
2009 99.0% +0.1%
2010 99.1% +0.1%
2011 99.1% +0.1%
2012 99.1% -0.0%
2013 99.3% +0.1%
2014 99.3% +0.0%
2015 99.2% -0.1%
2016 99.2% -0.0%
2017 99.3% +0.1%
2018 99.4% +0.1%
2019 99.4% +0.0%
2020 99.5% +0.1%
2021 99.5% +0.0%
2022 98.6% -0.9%
2023 98.7% +0.1%
2024 98.8% +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 97.9% 97.6% 98.3% 6
2000s 98.7% 98.3% 99.0% 10
2010s 99.2% 99.1% 99.4% 10
2020s 99.0% 98.6% 99.5% 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 9 Armenia 99.2% compare
  2. 10 Latvia 99.1% compare
  3. 11 Poland 99.1% compare
  4. 13 Estonia 98.5% compare
  5. 14 Lithuania 98.4% compare
  6. 15 Germany 98.2% compare

See the full ranking of 39 places →

More education data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States?
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States was 98.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2021.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 97.6% in 1994.
How does United States rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
United States ranks 12th out of 39 countries with data for 2024.
Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, non-immigrant background, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in United States. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-lower-secondary-education-or-higher-population-25-16/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, non-immigrant background, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
39 places, 508 data points, 1994–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release