Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in United States of America
United States of America: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 54.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
54.6%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
60th
of 110 countries
All-time high
57.5%
in 2012
All-time low
45.8%
in 1994
Years of data
31
1994–2024
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in United States of America, 1994–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in United States of America stood at 54.6%.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in United States of America peaked at 57.5% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 45.8%, in 1994.
United States of America ranks 60th of 110 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 45.8% | — |
| 1995 | 46.0% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 48.0% | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 49.0% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 49.6% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 49.8% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 48.8% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 50.0% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 50.9% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 52.0% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 52.7% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 52.7% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 53.1% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 54.2% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 54.8% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 55.7% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 56.7% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 57.2% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 57.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 55.4% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 55.3% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 55.6% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 55.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 56.3% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 56.2% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 56.1% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 55.6% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 54.6% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 55.0% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 54.0% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 54.6% | +1.1% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 54.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 69.2%, 79% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.0% | 45.8% | 49.8% | 6 |
| 2000s | 52.5% | 48.8% | 55.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.2% | 55.3% | 57.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.8% | 54.0% | 55.6% | 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 participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in United States of America?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in United States of America was 54.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 57.5% in 2012.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.8% in 1994.
- How does United States of America rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- United States of America ranks 60th out of 110 countries with data for 2024.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. 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 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-24 years old, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release