Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, immigrant background, both sexes (%) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
32
Highest
63.0%
Ireland
Lowest
14.0%
Italy
Median
34.8%
Years covered
31
1994β2024
Data points
380
What the numbers show
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, immigrant background, both sexes (%) is currently reported for 32 countries. The highest value is 63.0% in Ireland; the lowest is 14.0% in Italy.
The median across all reporting countries is 34.8%, and the mean is 35.7%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 5.
Over the past decade 28 countries rose and 1 fell. The largest increase was in Poland (up 141.6%), and the largest decrease in Armenia, Republic of (down 10.9%).
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 63.0% | 2023 | up 23.1% | rising |
| 2 | Romania | 58.5% | 2012 | up 36.7% | rising |
| 3 | Luxembourg | 54.3% | 2023 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 4 | Poland | 49.3% | 2023 | up 141.6% | rising |
| 5 | Armenia, Republic of | 47.7% | 2023 | down 10.9% | falling |
| 6 | Sweden | 47.5% | 2023 | up 39.3% | rising |
| 7 | Norway | 46.4% | 2023 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 8 | Cyprus | 45.7% | 2023 | up 19.4% | rising |
| 9 | United States | 44.8% | 2024 | up 17.2% | rising |
| 10 | Denmark | 42.5% | 2023 | β | rising |
| 11 | Iceland | 42.3% | 2023 | up 28.7% | rising |
| 12 | Hungary | 39.0% | 2023 | up 32.0% | rising |
| 13 | Netherlands | 38.4% | 2023 | up 53.2% | rising |
| 14 | France | 37.3% | 2023 | up 44.6% | rising |
| 15 | Portugal | 36.3% | 2024 | up 54.7% | rising |
| 16 | Finland | 35.4% | 2023 | up 16.6% | rising |
| 17 | Belgium | 34.3% | 2023 | up 29.3% | rising |
| 18 | Czechia | 32.4% | 2021 | up 36.2% | rising |
| 19 | Austria | 32.3% | 2021 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 20 | Slovak Republic | 32.1% | 2019 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 21 | Montenegro | 30.5% | 2018 | β | falling |
| 22 | Malta | 29.8% | 2016 | up 57.5% | rising |
| 23 | Serbia, Republic of | 28.9% | 2024 | up 30.2% | rising |
| 24 | Germany | 28.2% | 2023 | up 18.8% | rising |
| 25 | Spain | 28.1% | 2023 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 26 | Lithuania | 27.6% | 2013 | up 33.6% | rising |
| 27 | Croatia | 22.3% | 2023 | up 31.4% | rising |
| 28 | Slovenia | 20.4% | 2022 | up 48.5% | rising |
| 29 | Greece | 19.0% | 2024 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 30 | Brunei Darussalam | 18.8% | 2023 | up 29.5% | rising |
| 31 | Costa Rica | 16.3% | 2007 | β | flat |
| 32 | Italy | 14.0% | 2023 | up 13.4% | rising |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release