Share of the population with lower secondary education in United States of America
United States of America: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 96.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in United States of America, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with lower secondary education in United States of America is 96.6%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in United States of America peaked at 97.6% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 65.7%, in 1970.
United States of America ranks 18th of 135 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 65.7% | — |
| 1975 | 91.8% | +39.7% |
| 1979 | 92.7% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 92.7% | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 93.0% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 89.6% | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 91.2% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 96.1% | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 96.2% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 96.3% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 96.3% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 96.4% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 96.4% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 96.5% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 96.4% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 96.5% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 94.0% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 93.7% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 94.2% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 96.8% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 94.5% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 94.5% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 94.8% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 95.2% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 95.3% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 95.3% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 95.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 94.9% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 96.0% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 97.6% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 96.5% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 95.3% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 96.5% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 96.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 96.6% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 83.4% | 65.7% | 92.7% | 3 |
| 1980s | 92.8% | 92.7% | 93.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 94.6% | 89.6% | 96.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 95.4% | 93.7% | 96.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.5% | 94.8% | 97.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.3% | 95.3% | 96.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More education data for United States of America
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 11.56 million (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in United States of America?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in United States of America was 96.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 97.6% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.7% in 1970.
- How does United States of America rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- United States of America ranks 18th out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.