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 6.8% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
6.8%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
70th
of 98 countries
All-time high
11.6%
in 2002
All-time low
6.8%
in 2016
Years of data
16
1999–2016

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America, 1999–2016

02.557.51012.51999200720161999: 11.4 %2000: 11.5 %2001: 11.5 %2002: 11.6 %2005: 11.5 %2006: 11.5 %2007: 11.2 %2008: 10.8 %2009: 10.5 %2010: 10.3 %2011: 10.1 %2012: 9.5 %2013: 7.9 %2014: 7.4 %2015: 7 %2016: 6.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

United States of America recorded 6.8% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 41.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America peaked at 11.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 2016.

That places United States of America 70th out of 98 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%) in United States of America, 1999 to 2016.
Year % Change
1999 11.4%
2000 11.5% +0.6%
2001 11.5% +0.2%
2002 11.6% +0.5%
2005 11.5% -0.7%
2006 11.5% +0.2%
2007 11.2% -2.5%
2008 10.8% -3.9%
2009 10.5% -2.4%
2010 10.3% -1.9%
2011 10.1% -2.4%
2012 9.5% -5.8%
2013 7.9% -16.4%
2014 7.4% -6.3%
2015 7.0% -6.4%
2016 6.8% -3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.4% 11.4% 11.4% 1
2000s 11.3% 10.5% 11.6% 8
2010s 8.4% 6.8% 10.3% 7

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 67 Iran, Islamic Republic of 7.0% compare
  2. 68 Italy 6.9% compare
  3. 69 Finland 6.8% compare
  4. 71 Qatar 6.7% compare
  5. 72 Puerto Rico 6.5% compare
  6. 73 Malta 6.4% compare

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More education data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

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 6.8% in 2016, 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 11.6% in 2002.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2016.
How does United States of America rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
United States of America ranks 70th out of 98 countries with data for 2016.
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 41.4%. 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 Education programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-tertiary-education-graduating-from-education-programmes-both/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,156 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Share of all tertiary graduates who completed education programmes in the reference year.