Postsecondary Education
Completions
Table A-25-1. Percentage of the population 25 to 64 years old who attained selected levels of education, by country: 2001, 2005, and 2008
| Country |
High school |
|
Bachelor's degree or higher |
|
| 2001 |
|
2005 |
|
2008 |
|
|
2001 |
|
2005 |
|
2008 |
|
| OECD countries |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| OECD average |
64.6 |
|
68.5 |
|
72.4 |
|
|
14.8 |
|
18.6 |
|
20.8 |
|
| Australia |
58.9 |
|
65.0 |
|
69.9 |
|
|
19.2 |
|
22.7 |
|
25.9 |
|
| Austria1 |
75.7 |
|
80.6 |
|
81.0 |
|
|
6.6 |
|
9.1 |
|
10.7 |
|
| Belgium1 |
58.5 |
|
66.1 |
|
69.6 |
|
|
12.1 |
|
13.8 |
|
16.4 |
|
| Canada |
81.9 |
|
85.2 |
|
87.1 |
|
|
20.4 |
|
23.3 |
|
25.2 |
|
| Chile |
— |
|
50.0 |
|
68.0 |
|
|
— |
|
10.3 |
|
15.7 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Czech Republic |
86.2 |
|
89.9 |
|
90.9 |
|
|
11.1 |
|
13.1 |
|
14.5 |
|
| Denmark |
80.2 |
|
81.0 |
|
77.6 |
|
|
7.5 |
|
26.0 |
|
27.5 |
|
| Estonia |
— |
|
89.1 |
|
88.5 |
|
|
— |
|
22.2 |
|
22.3 |
|
| Finland |
73.8 |
|
78.8 |
|
81.1 |
|
|
14.8 |
|
18.1 |
|
21.5 |
|
| France |
63.9 |
|
66.3 |
|
70.0 |
|
|
11.9 |
|
14.8 |
|
16.4 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Germany |
82.6 |
|
83.1 |
|
85.3 |
|
|
13.5 |
|
14.8 |
|
16.4 |
|
| Greece |
51.4 |
|
57.1 |
|
61.1 |
|
|
12.4 |
|
14.5 |
|
16.8 |
|
| Hungary |
70.2 |
|
76.4 |
|
79.7 |
|
|
14.1 |
|
16.9 |
|
18.7 |
|
| Iceland |
56.9 |
|
62.9 |
|
64.1 |
|
|
18.8 |
|
25.9 |
|
27.9 |
|
| Ireland |
57.6 |
|
64.5 |
|
69.5 |
|
|
14.0 |
|
18.4 |
|
22.2 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Israel |
— |
|
79.2 |
|
81.2 |
|
|
— |
|
29.8 |
|
28.8 |
|
| Italy |
43.3 |
|
50.1 |
|
53.3 |
|
|
10 |
|
11.7 |
|
14.0 |
|
| Japan |
83.1 |
|
— |
|
— |
|
|
19.2 |
|
22.3 |
|
24.3 |
|
| Korea |
68.0 |
|
75.5 |
|
79.1 |
|
|
17.5 |
|
22.7 |
|
25.6 |
|
| Luxembourg |
‡ |
|
‡ |
|
‡ |
|
|
‡ |
|
‡ |
|
‡ |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mexico |
21.6 |
|
21.3 |
|
33.6 |
|
|
13.3 |
|
13.8 |
|
14.9 |
|
| Netherlands1 |
65.0 |
|
71.8 |
|
73.3 |
|
|
21.0 |
|
28.3 |
|
29.8 |
|
| New Zealand |
75.7 |
|
78.7 |
|
72.1 |
|
|
13.9 |
|
19.7 |
|
25.1 |
|
| Norway1 |
85.2 |
|
77.2 |
|
80.7 |
|
|
25.6 |
|
30.3 |
|
33.6 |
|
| Poland |
45.9 |
|
51.4 |
|
87.1 |
|
|
11.9 |
|
16.9 |
|
19.6 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Portugal |
19.9 |
|
26.5 |
|
28.2 |
|
|
6.6 |
|
12.8 |
|
14.3 |
|
| Slovak Republic |
85.1 |
|
85.7 |
|
89.9 |
|
|
10.3 |
|
12.8 |
|
14.0 |
|
| Slovenia |
— |
|
80.3 |
|
82.0 |
|
|
— |
|
10.6 |
|
11.8 |
|
| Spain |
40.0 |
|
48.8 |
|
51.2 |
|
|
16.9 |
|
19.9 |
|
20.0 |
|
| Sweden |
80.6 |
|
83.6 |
|
85.0 |
|
|
16.9 |
|
20.6 |
|
23.4 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Switzerland |
87.4 |
|
83.0 |
|
86.8 |
|
|
15.8 |
|
19.0 |
|
23.3 |
|
| Turkey |
24.3 |
|
27.2 |
|
30.3 |
|
|
8.9 |
|
9.7 |
|
12.0 |
|
| United Kingdom |
63.0 |
|
66.7 |
|
69.6 |
|
|
18.0 |
|
20.8 |
|
23.6 |
|
| United States |
87.7 |
|
87.8 |
|
88.7 |
|
|
28.3 |
|
29.6 |
|
31.5 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reporting partner |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| countries |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Brazil |
— |
|
29.5 |
|
38.8 |
|
|
— |
|
7.8 |
|
10.8 |
|
| Russian Federation2 |
88.0 |
|
88.9 |
|
— |
|
|
20.8 |
|
20.8 |
|
— |
|
| — Not available. |
| ‡ Reporting standards not met. |
| 1 Data from 2000 reported for 2001 for high school and bachelor's degree or higher data. |
| 2 Data from 2002 shown for 2001, and data from 2003 reported for 2005 for high school and bachelor's degree or higher data. |
| NOTE: OECD average refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, to which each country reporting data contributes equally. High school attainment data in this table refer to degrees classified by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (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 table. Bachelor’s degree or higher attainment data in this table 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 in the United States. For more information on ISCED levels, please see supplemental note 11. |
| SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance, 2002, 2007, and 2010, Tables A1.2a and A1.3a. |
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