Educational attainment … higher short-cycle tertiary non-immigrant in United States
United States: Educational attainment … higher short-cycle tertiary non-immigrant was 53.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States, 1994–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 53.5% for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States peaked at 53.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 27.7%, in 1994.
United States ranks 1st of 38 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Educational attainment … higher short-cycle tertiary non-immigrant in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 27.7% | — |
| 1995 | 28.7% | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 29.5% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 30.2% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 31.0% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 31.9% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 32.7% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 33.5% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 34.5% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 35.3% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 35.8% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 36.6% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 37.4% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 38.3% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 39.2% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 39.9% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 40.7% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 41.6% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 42.4% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 43.2% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 44.1% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 44.9% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 45.9% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 47.0% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 48.1% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 49.0% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 51.1% | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 51.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 51.7% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 52.5% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 53.5% | +2.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 53.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 33.2%, 1.6× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.8% | 27.7% | 31.9% | 6 |
| 2000s | 36.3% | 32.7% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.7% | 40.7% | 49.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.0% | 51.1% | 53.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.21 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96.02 (2022)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States was 53.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 53.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.7% in 1994.
- How does United States rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- United States ranks 1st out of 38 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, non-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