Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary male in United States
United States: Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary male was 47.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States stood at 47.6%.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States peaked at 48.7% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 24.1%, in 1970.
That places United States 6th out of 129 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary male in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 24.1% | — |
| 1975 | 30.8% | +27.5% |
| 1979 | 35.8% | +16.4% |
| 1980 | 36.2% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 36.8% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 48.7% | +32.4% |
| 1998 | 34.0% | -30.1% |
| 1999 | 35.0% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 35.7% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 36.2% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 36.6% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 37.9% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 36.5% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 37.3% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 38.0% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 38.1% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 38.0% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 38.3% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 39.3% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 40.2% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 40.8% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 40.8% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 41.2% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 42.3% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 43.3% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 43.8% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 44.7% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 46.3% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 45.8% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 45.9% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 47.1% | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 47.6% | +0.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 47.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 34.0%, 1.4× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary male in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -30.1% | 48.7% | 34.0% |
| 1994 | +32.4% | 36.8% | 48.7% |
| 1975 | +27.5% | 24.1% | 30.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 30.2% | 24.1% | 35.8% | 3 |
| 1980s | 36.5% | 36.2% | 36.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 39.3% | 34.0% | 48.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 37.0% | 35.3% | 38.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.5% | 38.3% | 44.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.5% | 45.8% | 47.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 3 Singapore 55.5% compare
- 4 South Korea 54.7% compare
- 5 United Arab Emirates 53.3% compare
- 7 United Kingdom 46.8% compare
- 8 Luxembourg 46.8% compare
- 9 Switzerland 46.1% compare
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 47.6% 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 48.7% in 1994.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.1% in 1970.
- How does United States rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- United States ranks 6th out of 129 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 16.5%. 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 short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release