Greater percentages of the population ages 25 to 64 had earned a bachelor's degree or higher in all reporting OECD countries in 2008 than in 2001 (21 vs. 15 percent). The percentage of the U.S. population with a bachelor's degree or higher was 32 percent in 2008, compared with 28 percent in 2001.
Member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) generally reported that the percentages of the adult population (ages 25 to 64) with a high school education or a bachelor's degree or higher were greater in 2008 than in 2001. On average across member countries of the OECD reporting data, the percentage of the population ages 25 to 64 possessing a high school education was 65 percent in 2001 and 72 percent in 2008. The percentage of the adult population possessing a bachelor's degree or higher was 15 percent in 2001 and 21 percent in 2008 (see table A-25-1).
The percentage of the population who had completed high school was higher in 2008 than in 2001 in 24 OECD countries and lower in 2008 than in 2001 in three OECD countries (one OECD country showed no measurable difference from 2001 to 2008). In the United States, 88 percent of the population had completed high school in 2001, compared with 89 percent in 2008. Greater percentages of the population ages 25 to 64 had earned a bachelor's degree or higher in all reporting OECD countries in 2008 than in 2001. The percentage of the U.S. adult population with a bachelor's degree or higher was 32 percent in 2008, compared with 28 percent in 2001.
In 2008 in 27 reporting OECD countries, 60 percent or more of the population ages 25 to 64 had completed at least high school, but differences in educational attainment were seen when the population was broken out by age group. On average across OECD countries, the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds with at least a high school education was 21 percentage points higher than that of 55- to 64-year-olds with at least a high school education (81 vs. 60 percent, respectively) (see table A-25-2). The United States was the only country in 2008 where the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who had completed high school did not exceed the percentage of 55- to 64-year-olds who had completed high school. The percentage of the population who had completed high school in 2008 was about the same at every age group in the United States (between 88 and 89 percent). Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, the Slovak Republic, and Switzerland were the only other countries where 80 percent or more of 55- to 64-year-olds were high school completers.
In 2008, over 20 percent of the 25- to 64-year-old population in 18 OECD countries had earned a bachelor's degree or higher. In 31 OECD countries and the partner country Brazil, 25- to 34-year-olds had higher levels of attaining a bachelor's degree or higher than did 55- to 64-year-olds. On average across OECD countries, 27 percent of the population ages 25 to 34 had completed a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 15 percent of the population 55 to 64 years old. In the United States, some 32 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds and 31 percent for 55- to 64-year-olds had attained a bachelor's degree or higher. The United States was the only country where at least 30 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds had attained a bachelor's degree or higher in 2008.
Technical Notes
The OECD is an organization of 34 countries whose purpose is to promote trade and economic growth in both member and nonmember countries. Of the 34 OECD member countries, 29 countries reported high school attainment data in 2001 and 32 countries reported these data in both 2005 and 2008. Twenty-nine OECD member countries reported bachelor's degree or higher attainment data in 2001, and 33 countries reported these data in both 2005 and 2008. The OECD average refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting OECD countries, to which each country reporting data contributes equally. Attainment data for two non-OECD partner countries are displayed separately and are not included in the OECD average. High school attainment data in this indicator refer to degrees classified by the OECD as International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) level 3. ISCED level 3 corresponds to high school completion in the United States. ISCED level 3C short programs do not correspond to high school completion; these short programs are excluded from this indicator. Data regarding the attainment of a bachelor's degree or higher in this indicator refer to degrees classified by the OECD as ISCED level 5A or 6. ISCED level 5A, first award, corresponds to the bachelor's degree in the United States; ISCED level 5A, second award, corresponds to master's and first-professional degrees in the United States; and ISCED level 6 corresponds to doctoral degrees. For more information on ISCED levels, see supplemental note 11.
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