Share of the world population with at least basic education in United States
United States: Share of the world population with at least basic education was 0.8943 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of the world population with at least basic education in United States, 1950–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 0.8943 for share of the world population with at least basic education in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the world population with at least basic education in United States peaked at 4.17 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0.8943, in 2020.
United States ranks 15th of 25 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of the world population with at least basic education in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4.17 | — |
| 1955 | 3.56 | -14.5% |
| 1960 | 3.03 | -14.9% |
| 1965 | 2.59 | -14.6% |
| 1970 | 2.26 | -12.7% |
| 1975 | 2.01 | -10.9% |
| 1980 | 1.82 | -9.4% |
| 1985 | 1.69 | -7.4% |
| 1990 | 1.58 | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 1.47 | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 1.37 | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 1.25 | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 1.12 | -10.8% |
| 2015 | 0.9838 | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 0.8943 | -9.1% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 0.8943 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1004, 8.9× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.86 | 3.56 | 4.17 | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.81 | 2.59 | 3.03 | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.14 | 2.01 | 2.26 | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.76 | 1.69 | 1.82 | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.52 | 1.47 | 1.58 | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.31 | 1.25 | 1.37 | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.05 | 0.9838 | 1.12 | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.8943 | 0.8943 | 0.8943 | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.21 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96.02 (2022)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the world population with at least basic education in United States?
- Share of the world population with at least basic education in United States was 0.8943 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the world population with at least basic education recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 4.17 in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of the world population with at least basic education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8943 in 2020.
- How does United States rank for share of the world population with at least basic education?
- United States ranks 15th out of 25 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the world population with at least basic education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the world population with at least basic education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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