Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 1.07 GPIA in 2021. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2021, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 1.07 GPIA.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 1.08 GPIA in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.7077 GPIA, in 1971.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 68th out of 127 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.7077 GPIA | — |
| 2009 | 0.9901 GPIA | +39.9% |
| 2010 | 1.01 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 0.9293 GPIA | -8.1% |
| 2012 | 1.02 GPIA | +9.6% |
| 2013 | 1.04 GPIA | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 1.06 GPIA | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.05 GPIA | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.08 GPIA | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 1.07 GPIA | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7077 GPIA | 0.7077 GPIA | 0.7077 GPIA | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9901 GPIA | 0.9901 GPIA | 0.9901 GPIA | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.02 GPIA | 0.9293 GPIA | 1.06 GPIA | 6 |
| 2020s | 1.08 GPIA | 1.07 GPIA | 1.08 GPIA | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 102.17 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1.07 GPIA in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.08 GPIA in 2020.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7077 GPIA in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 68th out of 127 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release