Share of new entrants to and first-time graduates at tertiary education by country
This dataset contains data on the share of new entrants to and first-time graduates at tertiary education. The default table displays tertiary new entrants and graduates data for the latest available year. The selection can be changed to display data: by year, sex and mobility status. Data correspond to the concept...
What the numbers show
Share of new entrants to and first-time graduates at tertiary education is currently reported for 28 countries. The highest value is 46.64 Percentage of students in the same subgroup in United States of America; the lowest is 0.7403 Percentage of students in the same subgroup in Czechia.
The median across all reporting countries is 16.13 Percentage of students in the same subgroup, and the mean is 19.63 Percentage of students in the same subgroup.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 63.
Over the past decade 19 countries rose and 8 fell. The largest increase was in Portugal (up 2,010.2%), and the largest decrease in Switzerland (down 57.4%).
Share of new entrants to and first-time graduates at tertiary: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 46.64 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 3.4% | flat |
| 1 | Türkiye | 44.88 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 2 | Canada | 40.73 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 2 | Slovenia | 15.37 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 6.3% | flat |
| 3 | Austria | 39.7 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 14.1% | falling |
| 4 | Spain | 39.16 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 4 | Netherlands | 4.8 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 244.2% | rising |
| 5 | Colombia | 38.26 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 7.8% | flat |
| 5 | Poland | 0.1031 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 6 | Chile | 35.03 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 26.4% | falling |
| 7 | Japan | 31.14 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 8 | Israel | 27.04 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 11.8% | flat |
| 9 | Denmark | 26.69 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 12.7% | rising |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 24.26 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 82.5% | rising |
| 11 | New Zealand | 23.1 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 12 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 19.54 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 13 | OECD | 16.89 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2023 | up 4.6% | flat |
| 14 | Sweden | 13.85 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 15 | Portugal | 13.24 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 2,010.2% | rising |
| 16 | Iceland | 12.71 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 138.8% | rising |
| 17 | Norway | 9.51 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 41.4% | rising |
| 18 | Mexico | 6.63 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 19 | Hungary | 6.38 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 20 | Belgium | 6.02 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 396.1% | volatile |
| 21 | Italy | 3.77 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 342.0% | volatile |
| 22 | Switzerland | 2.22 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 57.4% | falling |
| 23 | Germany | 1.17 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 1,724.4% | volatile |
| 24 | Czechia | 0.7403 Percentage of students in the same subgroup | 2024 | up 21.3% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Slovak Republic 3.1 Percentage of students in the same subgroup
- European Union (25 countries) 9.94 Percentage of students in the same subgroup
About this data
This dataset contains data on the share of new entrants to and first-time graduates at tertiary education. The default table displays tertiary new entrants and graduates data for the latest available year. The selection can be changed to display data: by year, sex and mobility status. Data correspond to the concept of first-time tertiary, i.e. person who has enter (new entrants) or successfully completed (graduates) an education programme at the tertiary level for the first time. The student may have entered / completed the programme at either ISCED level 5 (short-cyle tertiary) , 6 (bachelor) or 7 (master long first degree). Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on 29 September 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.