Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in United States of America
United States of America: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years was 13.98 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in United States of America, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in United States of America is 13.98, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in United States of America peaked at 13.98 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.05, in 1970.
That places United States of America 2nd out of 124 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11.05 | — |
| 1975 | 11.63 | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 11.95 | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 12.43 | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 12.63 | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 12.98 | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 13.17 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 12.82 | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 12.83 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 12.91 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 12.99 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 13.01 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 13.05 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 13.1 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 13.14 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 13.2 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 13.22 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 13.25 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 13.34 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 13.41 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 13.5 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 13.68 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 13.58 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 13.91 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 13.95 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 13.98 | +0.2% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 13.98 is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.44, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.54 | 11.05 | 11.95 | 3 |
| 1980s | 12.53 | 12.43 | 12.63 | 2 |
| 1990s | 13.08 | 12.98 | 13.17 | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.91 | 12.82 | 13.01 | 5 |
| 2010s | 13.25 | 13.05 | 13.5 | 9 |
| 2020s | 13.82 | 13.58 | 13.98 | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More education data for United States of America
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in United States of America?
- Mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in United States of America was 13.98 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 13.98 in 2024.
- What is the lowest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.05 in 1970.
- How does United States of America rank for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years?
- United States of America ranks 2nd out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, both sexes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release