Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 16.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 16.9%.
That represents a change of up 10.3% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 19.0% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 12.7%, in 2000.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 39th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.7% | — |
| 2001 | 18.3% | +43.7% |
| 2002 | 18.7% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 17.8% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 18.3% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 18.3% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 18.2% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 17.7% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 16.8% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 16.3% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 16.3% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 15.7% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 15.4% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 13.3% | -13.8% |
| 2016 | 13.4% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 13.6% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 13.8% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | +11.5% |
| 2023 | 16.9% | +10.3% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 16.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 13.8%, 1.2× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 16.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.0%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +43.7% | 12.7% | 18.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.7% | 12.7% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 13.3% | 16.8% | 8 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 13.8% | 16.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 36 Egypt 17.1% compare
- 37 Switzerland 17.1% compare
- 38 Uzbekistan 17.0% compare
- 40 Portugal 16.9% compare
- 41 Korea 16.9% compare
- 42 North Macedonia 16.2% compare
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 16.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7% in 2000.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 39th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Health and Welfare programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release