Share of the population with tertiary education in United States
United States: Share of the population with tertiary education was 60.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with tertiary education in United States, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with tertiary education in United States stood at 60.9%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with tertiary education in United States peaked at 60.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1870.
That places United States 2nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with tertiary education in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.9% | — |
| 1875 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 1880 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 1885 | 1.4% | +27.3% |
| 1890 | 2.2% | +57.1% |
| 1895 | 3.0% | +36.4% |
| 1900 | 3.8% | +26.7% |
| 1905 | 4.7% | +23.7% |
| 1910 | 5.5% | +17.0% |
| 1915 | 6.5% | +18.2% |
| 1920 | 7.4% | +13.8% |
| 1925 | 8.5% | +14.9% |
| 1930 | 9.4% | +10.6% |
| 1935 | 10.6% | +12.8% |
| 1940 | 11.6% | +9.4% |
| 1945 | 12.5% | +7.8% |
| 1950 | 14.5% | +16.0% |
| 1955 | 16.0% | +10.3% |
| 1960 | 17.9% | +11.9% |
| 1965 | 20.3% | +13.4% |
| 1970 | 23.3% | +14.8% |
| 1975 | 29.7% | +27.5% |
| 1980 | 35.8% | +20.5% |
| 1985 | 42.8% | +19.6% |
| 1990 | 50.2% | +17.3% |
| 1995 | 50.7% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 56.0% | +10.5% |
| 2005 | 56.6% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 60.3% | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 60.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 60.9% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 4.2% | 3.8% | 4.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 6.0% | 5.5% | 6.5% | 2 |
| 1920s | 8.0% | 7.4% | 8.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 10.0% | 9.4% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 12.1% | 11.6% | 12.5% | 2 |
| 1950s | 15.2% | 14.5% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 19.1% | 17.9% | 20.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 26.5% | 23.3% | 29.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 39.3% | 35.8% | 42.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 50.5% | 50.2% | 50.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 56.3% | 56.0% | 56.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 60.3% | 60.3% | 60.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 60.9% | 60.9% | 60.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.78 million (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with tertiary education in United States?
- Share of the population with tertiary education in United States was 60.9% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 60.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with tertiary education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1870.
- How does United States rank for share of the population with tertiary education?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with tertiary education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.