Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in United States

United States: Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent was 14.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
14.7%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
15th
of 38 countries
All-time high
14.7%
in 2024
All-time low
7.4%
in 1994
Years of data
31
1994–2024

Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in United States, 1994–2024

0510151994200920241994: 7.4 %1995: 7.7 %1996: 7.8 %1997: 7.8 %1998: 8.2 %1999: 8.4 %2000: 8.5 %2001: 8.7 %2002: 8.9 %2003: 9.2 %2004: 9.4 %2005: 9.5 %2006: 9.8 %2007: 9.9 %2008: 10.2 %2009: 10.4 %2010: 10.5 %2011: 10.8 %2012: 11 %2013: 11.3 %2014: 11.6 %2015: 12.1 %2016: 12.4 %2017: 12.5 %2018: 12.8 %2019: 13.1 %2020: 13.8 %2021: 13.9 %2022: 14.2 %2023: 14.5 %2024: 14.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in United States is 14.7%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 26.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in United States peaked at 14.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 1994.

That places United States 15th out of 38 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.9% 7.4% 8.4% 6
2000s 9.4% 8.5% 10.4% 10
2010s 11.8% 10.5% 13.1% 10
2020s 14.2% 13.8% 14.7% 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 12 Sweden 15.3% compare
  2. 13 Belgium 15.2% compare
  3. 14 Netherlands 14.8% compare
  4. 16 Slovenia 14.7% compare
  5. 17 Finland 14.6% compare
  6. 18 Cyprus 14.4% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More education data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in United States?
Educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent in United States was 14.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2024.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 1994.
How does United States rank for educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent?
United States ranks 15th out of 38 countries with data for 2024.
Is educational attainment rate, completed master's or equivalent rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, non-immigrant background, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent in United States. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-master-s-or-equivalent-education-or-higher-17/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed Master's or equivalent education or higher, population 25+ years, non-immigrant background, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
38 places, 347 data points, 1994–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release