Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America
United States of America: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 18.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America stood at 18.5%. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America peaked at 25.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 2023.
United States of America ranks 110th of 124 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 25.6% | — |
| 2013 | 20.2% | -21.4% |
| 2014 | 19.8% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 19.5% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 19.3% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 19.0% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 18.6% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 18.5% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.6% | 25.6% | 25.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 19.0% | 20.2% | 5 |
| 2020s | 18.6% | 18.5% | 18.8% | 3 |
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 percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America was 18.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 2023.
- How does United States of America rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- United States of America ranks 110th out of 124 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release