Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in Poland
Poland: Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban was 40.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Poland, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Poland stood at 40.2%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 34.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Poland peaked at 40.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 1978.
That places Poland 26th out of 101 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in Poland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.9% | — |
| 1978 | 8.8% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 11.3% | +28.2% |
| 2000 | 14.3% | +26.0% |
| 2001 | 15.0% | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 16.7% | +11.7% |
| 2003 | 17.3% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 19.0% | +9.8% |
| 2005 | 20.3% | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 21.3% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 22.0% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 22.7% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 24.4% | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 26.2% | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 26.9% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 27.5% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 28.6% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 30.0% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 30.8% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 31.1% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 32.4% | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 33.4% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 34.1% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 34.8% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 35.2% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 35.5% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 38.8% | +9.2% |
| 2024 | 40.2% | +3.7% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 40.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.2%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Poland's 40.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 40.3%, 100% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate … both short-cycle tertiary urban in Poland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +28.2% | 8.8% | 11.3% |
| 2000 | +26.0% | 11.3% | 14.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.8% | 8.8% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.3% | 14.3% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.1% | 26.2% | 34.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.9% | 34.8% | 40.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More education data for Poland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.55 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.91 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 322,900 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,398 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 776,213 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 735,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.60 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.04 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Poland?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Poland was 40.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 40.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 1978.
- How does Poland rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- Poland ranks 26th out of 101 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Poland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release