Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Mexico
Mexico: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 22.9 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Mexico, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 22.9 for share of the population with completed tertiary education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Mexico peaked at 22.9 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
That places Mexico 37th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 Mexico, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0.1 | — |
| 1880 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1905 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.5 | +150.0% |
| 1915 | 0.6 | +20.0% |
| 1920 | 0.8 | +33.3% |
| 1925 | 1 | +25.0% |
| 1930 | 1.2 | +20.0% |
| 1935 | 1.3 | +8.3% |
| 1940 | 1.3 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 1.4 | +7.7% |
| 1950 | 1.4 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1.4 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1.3 | -7.1% |
| 1965 | 1.7 | +30.8% |
| 1970 | 2.4 | +41.2% |
| 1975 | 3.8 | +58.3% |
| 1980 | 5.8 | +52.6% |
| 1985 | 7.1 | +22.4% |
| 1990 | 8.5 | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 10.9 | +28.2% |
| 2000 | 13.1 | +20.2% |
| 2005 | 16.5 | +26.0% |
| 2010 | 19.3 | +17.0% |
| 2015 | 20.5 | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 22.9 | +11.7% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 22.9 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.25, 1.5× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 22.9 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.8, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Mexico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | +150.0% | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.05 | 0 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.55 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1 | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.25 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.35 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2 |
| 1970s | 3.1 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.45 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 2 |
| 1990s | 9.7 | 8.5 | 10.9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.8 | 13.1 | 16.5 | 2 |
| 2010s | 19.9 | 19.3 | 20.5 | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.9 | 22.9 | 22.9 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More education data for Mexico
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 92.12 (1980)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.64 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 868,550 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 96,349 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.11 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.99 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.19 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Mexico?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Mexico was 22.9 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 22.9 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Mexico rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Mexico ranks 37th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico 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).