Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States
United States: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 96.3% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
96.3%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
28th
of 37 countries
All-time high
98.7%
in 2020
All-time low
96.2%
in 2022
Years of data
31
1994–2024
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States, 1994–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States is 96.3%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States peaked at 98.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 96.2%, in 2022.
United States ranks 28th of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 97.3% | — |
| 1995 | 97.5% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 97.4% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 97.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 97.9% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 98.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 98.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 98.0% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 98.1% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 98.4% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 98.3% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 98.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.3% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 98.3% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 98.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 98.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.4% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 96.2% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 96.2% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 96.3% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 97.5% | 97.3% | 97.9% | 6 |
| 2000s | 98.1% | 98.0% | 98.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.4% | 98.3% | 98.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.2% | 96.2% | 98.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.06 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.56 million (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 223,288 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 10.46 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 0.1542 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.59 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.34 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States was 96.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 98.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 96.2% in 2022.
- How does United States rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- United States ranks 28th out of 37 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. 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 primary education or higher, population 25+ years, immigrant background, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release