Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both was 48.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 48.7% for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in 2021. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 47.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom peaked at 48.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 1971.
That places United Kingdom 9th out of 129 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed … short-cycle tertiary both in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.9% | — |
| 2009 | 31.5% | +297.2% |
| 2010 | 33.7% | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 33.1% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 37.0% | +11.8% |
| 2013 | 37.9% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 39.0% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 44.1% | +13.1% |
| 2020 | 47.2% | +7.1% |
| 2021 | 48.7% | +3.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 48.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 37.8%, 1.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 48.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 35.4%, 1.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.9% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 31.5% | 31.5% | 31.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 37.4% | 33.1% | 44.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 48.0% | 47.2% | 48.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 6 United States 49.8% compare
- 7 South Korea 49.6% compare
- 8 Canada 49.3% compare
- 10 Ukraine 47.8% compare
- 11 Australia 47.5% compare
- 12 Luxembourg 46.4% compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United Kingdom was 48.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 48.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 129 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release