Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States
United States: Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education was 49.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States stood at 49.8%. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States peaked at 49.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 1970.
That places United States 6th out of 129 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 21.2% | — |
| 1975 | 26.3% | +23.8% |
| 1979 | 31.1% | +18.3% |
| 1980 | 31.9% | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 32.2% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 45.2% | +40.7% |
| 1994 | 46.5% | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 32.3% | -30.6% |
| 1999 | 33.2% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 33.8% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 34.4% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 35.2% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 35.8% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 37.5% | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 36.2% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 37.5% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 37.8% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 38.3% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 38.6% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 39.1% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 39.9% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 40.7% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 41.5% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 41.9% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 42.3% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 43.5% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 44.7% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 45.2% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 46.3% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 48.1% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 47.9% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 48.1% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 49.1% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 49.8% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.2% | 21.2% | 31.1% | 3 |
| 1980s | 32.0% | 31.9% | 32.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 39.3% | 32.3% | 46.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 36.5% | 33.8% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.5% | 39.1% | 46.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.6% | 47.9% | 49.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.78 million (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 96.97 (2022)
- School enrollment, primary 97.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States?
- Educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education in United States was 49.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 49.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 1970.
- How does United States rank for educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education?
- United States ranks 6th out of 129 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed short-cycle tertiary education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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 — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release