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 15.7% 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 15.7%. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America peaked at 24.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2023.
That places United States of America 111th out of 122 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 24.4% | — |
| 2013 | 17.7% | -27.8% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 17.0% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 16.2% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 16.0% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 15.7% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 15.7% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.4% | 24.4% | 24.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 16.2% | 17.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 15.8% | 15.7% | 16.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 108 Norway 16.0% compare
- 109 Sweden 15.7% compare
- 110 Eritrea 15.7% compare
- 112 Burkina Faso 15.0% compare
- 113 El Salvador 14.6% compare
- 114 Puerto Rico 14.4% compare
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 15.7% 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 24.4% 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 15.7% in 2023.
- How does United States of America rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- United States of America ranks 111th out of 122 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 11.4%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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