Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Italy
Italy: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 15.9 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Italy, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Italy recorded 15.9 for share of the population with completed tertiary education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Italy peaked at 15.9 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1, in 1870.
Italy ranks 51st of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.1 | — |
| 1875 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1880 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.3 | +50.0% |
| 1890 | 0.3 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.4 | +33.3% |
| 1900 | 0.5 | +25.0% |
| 1905 | 0.6 | +20.0% |
| 1910 | 0.7 | +16.7% |
| 1915 | 0.8 | +14.3% |
| 1920 | 0.8 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 1 | +25.0% |
| 1930 | 1.1 | +10.0% |
| 1935 | 1.2 | +9.1% |
| 1940 | 1.3 | +8.3% |
| 1945 | 1.5 | +15.4% |
| 1950 | 1.6 | +6.7% |
| 1955 | 1.8 | +12.5% |
| 1960 | 2.3 | +27.8% |
| 1965 | 2.4 | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 2.9 | +20.8% |
| 1975 | 3.4 | +17.2% |
| 1980 | 4.7 | +38.2% |
| 1985 | 5.4 | +14.9% |
| 1990 | 6.7 | +24.1% |
| 1995 | 8.9 | +32.8% |
| 2000 | 11 | +23.6% |
| 2005 | 12.2 | +10.9% |
| 2010 | 14.6 | +19.7% |
| 2015 | 14.4 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 15.9 | +10.4% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 15.9 is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.6, 52% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Italy's 15.9 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.85, 52% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Italy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | +100.0% | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.15 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.25 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.35 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.55 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.75 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1 | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.15 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.35 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2 |
| 1970s | 3.15 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.05 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 2 |
| 1990s | 7.8 | 6.7 | 8.9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.6 | 11 | 12.2 | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.5 | 14.4 | 14.6 | 2 |
| 2020s | 15.9 | 15.9 | 15.9 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.84 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.94 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Italy?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Italy was 15.9 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 15.9 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1 in 1870.
- How does Italy rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Italy ranks 51st out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).