Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy

Italy: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 17.7% in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
17.7%
Change on year
up 6.6%
World rank
82nd
of 129 countries
All-time high
17.7%
in 2023
All-time low
2.6%
in 1971
Years of data
34
1971–2023

Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy, 1971–2023

51015201971199720231971: 2.6 %1981: 4.1 %1992: 6 %1993: 5.9 %1994: 6.2 %1995: 6.4 %1996: 6.7 %1997: 7 %1998: 8 %1999: 8.5 %2000: 8.6 %2001: 9.4 %2002: 8.7 %2003: 9 %2004: 9.5 %2005: 10.1 %2006: 10.6 %2007: 11.1 %2008: 11.7 %2009: 11.9 %2010: 12.1 %2011: 12.2 %2012: 12.8 %2013: 13.3 %2014: 13.8 %2015: 14.4 %2016: 14.7 %2017: 15.6 %2018: 16.2 %2019: 16.5 %2020: 16.6 %2021: 16.4 %2022: 16.6 %2023: 17.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy is 17.7%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

The figure is up 6.6% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy peaked at 17.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1971.

Italy ranks 82nd of 129 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1980s 4.1% 4.1% 4.1% 1
1990s 6.8% 5.9% 8.5% 8
2000s 10.1% 8.6% 11.9% 10
2010s 14.1% 12.1% 16.5% 10
2020s 16.8% 16.4% 17.7% 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 79 Kuwait 18.5% compare
  2. 80 Grenada 18.5% compare
  3. 81 Egypt 18.1% compare
  4. 83 Zimbabwe 17.4% compare
  5. 84 South Africa 17.3% compare
  6. 85 Belize 17.1% compare

See the full ranking of 129 places β†’

More education data for Italy

All data for Italy β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy?
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy was 17.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2023.
What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1971.
How does Italy rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
Italy ranks 82nd out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy 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, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV Β· JSON β€” 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population/italy/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/educational-attainment-rate-completed-short-cycle-tertiary-education-or-higher-population/italy/">Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in Italy</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
129 places, 2,142 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release