Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in France
France: Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban was 39.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in France, 1993–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in France stood at 39.7%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in France peaked at 39.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2006.
France ranks 29th of 101 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 17.9% | — |
| 1994 | 18.7% | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 19.5% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 18.9% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 19.4% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 21.2% | +9.2% |
| 1999 | 21.9% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 22.8% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 23.8% | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 24.6% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 21.7% | -11.9% |
| 2004 | 22.0% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 22.8% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 16.4% | -27.8% |
| 2007 | 24.8% | +50.8% |
| 2008 | 25.0% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 26.6% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 27.3% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 28.1% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 29.4% | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 30.8% | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 32.7% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 32.2% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 33.7% | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 34.5% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 36.6% | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 38.4% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 39.0% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 39.7% | +1.7% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 39.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 40.2%, 99% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- France's 39.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 40.3%, 99% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in France 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +50.8% | 16.4% | 24.8% |
| 2006 | -27.8% | 22.8% | 16.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.6% | 17.9% | 21.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 23.0% | 16.4% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.7% | 26.6% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.4% | 36.6% | 39.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in France?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in France was 39.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2006.
- How does France rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- France ranks 29th out of 101 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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