Educational attainment … education short-cycle tertiary location in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Educational attainment … education short-cycle tertiary location was 1 LPIA in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
1 LPIA
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
5th
of 87 countries
All-time high
1.13 LPIA
in 2010
All-time low
0.9844 LPIA
in 2020
Years of data
9
2009–2021
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom, 2009–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in LPIA.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1 LPIA for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2021.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom peaked at 1.13 LPIA in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.9844 LPIA, in 2020.
That places United Kingdom 5th out of 87 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Educational attainment … education short-cycle tertiary location in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | LPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1.13 LPIA | — |
| 2010 | 1.13 LPIA | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.03 LPIA | -9.0% |
| 2012 | 1.08 LPIA | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 1.11 LPIA | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 1.07 LPIA | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 1.03 LPIA | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 0.9844 LPIA | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 1 LPIA | +1.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1 LPIA is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.682 LPIA, 1.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1 LPIA is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.6297 LPIA, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.13 LPIA | 1.13 LPIA | 1.13 LPIA | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.07 LPIA | 1.03 LPIA | 1.13 LPIA | 6 |
| 2020s | 0.9934 LPIA | 0.9844 LPIA | 1 LPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
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 short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom was 1 LPIA in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1.13 LPIA in 2010.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9844 LPIA in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- United Kingdom ranks 5th out of 87 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, female, adjusted location parity index (LPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release