Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States
United States: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 96.2% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
96.2%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
23rd
of 31 countries
All-time high
98.6%
in 2020
All-time low
96.0%
in 2023
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 96.2%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% 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 98.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 96.0%, in 2023.
That places United States 23rd out of 31 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 96.9% | — |
| 1995 | 97.1% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 97.1% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 97.4% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 97.7% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 97.8% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 97.7% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 97.6% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 98.0% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 98.2% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 98.1% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 98.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.0% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 98.0% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 98.2% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 96.2% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 96.0% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 96.2% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 97.2% | 96.9% | 97.5% | 6 |
| 2000s | 97.9% | 97.6% | 98.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.3% | 98.0% | 98.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.1% | 96.0% | 98.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 20 Portugal 98.0% compare
- 21 Luxembourg 97.5% compare
- 22 Montenegro 96.7% compare
- 24 Poland 95.3% compare
- 25 Spain 94.0% compare
- 26 Bosnia and Herzegovina 93.6% compare
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 96.2% 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 98.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 96.0% in 2023.
- How does United States rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- United States ranks 23rd out of 31 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, female (%). 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