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Table B.3.06. Number of bachelor's degree recipients per 100 persons of the typical age of graduation, by sex and country: 2002 through 2006

  Typical age of graduation   Total   Male   Female
       
Country   2002 2003 2004 2005 2006   2002 2003 2004 2005 2006   2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
OECD average1 —   31.8 — 34.3 36.3 37.8   26.9 — 27.8 29.0 30.3   36.93 — 40.9 43.9 45.8
                                       
OECD countries                                      
Australia 20-24   50.7 54.8 46.9 59.9 59.6   43.0 46.7 37.4 47.9 47.4   58.8 63.4 57.0 72.5 72.5
Austria 22-26   18.0 19.0 19.6 20.4 21.7   17.9 18.7 19.0 19.0 20.4   18.1 19.4 20.3 21.8 22.9
Belgium (Flemish) 22-24   19.2 — 18.3 18.4 19.0   18.7 — 17.5 17.0 17.9   19.7 — 19.0 19.8 20.2
Canada 22-24   — — 31.5 33.6 39.3   — — 24.3 25.2 29.5   — — 39.1 42.2 49.7
Czech Republic 22-25   15.4 17.3 21.0 26.0 30.7   14.3 15.9 18.8 22.6 26.5   16.6 18.8 23.4 29.5 35.2
                                       
Denmark 22-26   34.4 38.6 49.9 52.9 50.3   23.4 25.1 35.6 37.2 37.0   45.7 52.3 64.4 69.2 63.7
Finland 22-28   51.8 55.8 54.7 53.8 57.3   37.7 40.4 39.5 38.8 40.6   66.4 72.2 70.5 69.7 74.5
France 20-25   39.0 41.5 40.0 — 34.2   32.9 34.9 33.4 — 30.6   45.3 48.4 46.9 — 37.9
Germany 24-27   19.2 19.5 20.6 20.5 21.0   19.3 19.3 20.3 20.0 20.0   19.1 19.7 20.9 21.1 22.0
Greece (2)   — — 19.1 23.9 23.5   — — 13.3 16.3 16.1   — — 25.4 32.2 31.7
                                       
Hungary 23-24   31.1 33.6 37.3 41.5 38.2   23.2 24.6 26.6 29.0 26.1   39.3 43.2 48.4 54.5 51.0
Iceland 23-26   40.0 44.2 50.5 56.3 62.8   27.2 29.4 31.4 33.6 37.7   53.1 59.1 70.3 80.5 89.6
Ireland 21-24   30.9 36.8 38.6 40.7 42.8   25.6 29.7 31.9 33.3 33.4   36.2 44.0 45.3 48.0 52.5
Italy 22-25   22.4 27.8 40.1 44.8 42.7   19.2 24.0 33.3 37.3 35.1   25.6 31.6 47.2 52.7 50.6
Japan 22-24   34.1 34.4 36.3 36.9 38.7   40.2 40.1 41.4 41.3 42.8   27.6 28.5 31.0 32.2 34.3
                                       
Korea, Republic of 21-23   31.5 31.7 32.3 35.5 41.0   31.6 32.1 31.5 34.8 40.2   31.3 31.2 33.2 36.2 41.7
Mexico (2)   16.5 14.3 13.8 15.2 18.1   15.6 13.3 13.1 14.5 16.7   17.4 15.3 14.4 15.9 19.5
Netherlands 21-24   38.6 42.5 42.9 47.2 49.2   34.4 36.4 37.2 40.2 42.9   42.9 48.7 48.6 54.3 55.7
New Zealand 21-24   41.6 39.0 47.6 49.0 53.5   31.8 29.1 34.9 36.6 40.6   51.3 49.1 61.0 62.0 67.0
Norway 22-25   41.1 42.0 43.3 42.1 45.1   29.7 30.0 31.5 28.8 31.9   52.8 54.2 55.3 55.8 58.8
                                       
Poland 23-25   — — 44.4 45.0 44.8   — — 32.6 32.8 32.9   — — 56.6 57.6 57.1
Portugal 22-24   — — 32.9 33.7 34.9   — — 20.4 21.7 22.7   — — 45.6 46.0 47.4
Slovak Republic 21-24   — — 28.3 30.1 33.7   — — 24.4 25.6 26.0   — — 32.4 34.8 41.8
Spain 20-22   33.1 32.0 35.2 35.0 35.3   26.4 25.5 27.5 27.1 27.1   40.0 38.9 43.2 43.3 43.8
Sweden 23-26   35.2 38.4 39.9 44.0 43.3   26.5 28.6 29.7 30.8 29.8   44.1 48.5 50.5 57.6 57.2
                                       
Switzerland 23-27   20.8 20.9 22.4 25.0 27.0   23.3 23.5 24.0 26.1 26.8   18.3 18.4 20.9 23.9 27.1
Turkey 22-28   — — 14.0 11.3 15.4   — — 15.2 11.8 16.3   — — 12.7 10.7 14.5
United Kingdom 20-24   — — 39.2 39.8 39.0   — — 34.2 34.1 33.0   — — 44.3 45.7 45.2
United States 22-24   36.1 33.4 33.2 34.2 35.5   29.7 27.6 27.5 28.1 29.1   42.9 39.4 39.2 40.7 42.4
Non-OECD countries                                      
Brazil (2)   — — 15.6 17.5 21.3   — — 11.8 13.3 16.2   — — 19.4 21.6 26.4
Chile 22-24   — — 25.1 11.5 15.0   — — 22.9 9.7 13.0   — — 27.5 13.4 17.0
Estonia 22-24   — — — 28.5 26.4   — — — 17.6 15.4   — — — 39.5 37.8
Israel (2)   — — 32.3 32.9 33.4   — — 25.3 25.7 26.8   — — 39.6 40.2 40.3
Russian Federation 19-25   — — — 45.9 43.7   — — — — —   — — — — —
Slovenia 25-26   — — — 21.6 21.6   — — — 14.3 14.2   — — — 29.4 29.3
—Not available.
1Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting OECD countries, to which each country reporting data contributes equally. The average is omitted for years in which less than 75 percent of the countries reported data.
2Typical age of graduation data not available. Estimates calculated using the age range 22-24 years old.
NOTE: Data in this table refer to degrees classified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) level 5A, first award. This level corresponds to the bachelor's degree in the United States. The recipients per 100 persons ratio relates the number of people of all ages earning bachelor's degrees in a particular year to the number of people in the population at the typical age of graduation. The typical age is based on full-time attendance and normal progression through the education system (without repeating a year, taking a year off, etc.); this age varies across countries because of differences in their education systems and differences in program duration. Data for Luxembourg are not shown because tertiary students study for only 1 year in Luxembourg. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2010). Digest of Education Statistics 2009 (NCES 2010-013), table 413. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S Department of Education. Washington, DC.
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