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Digest of Education Statistics: 2013
Digest of Education Statistics: 2013

NCES 2015-011
May 2015


Table 603.20. Percentage of the population 25 to 64 years old who attained selected levels of postsecondary education, by age group and country: 2001 and 2011
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Country Total, any postsecondary degree 2011
2001 2011 Vocational degree1  Bachelor's or higher degree2 
Total, 25 to 64 years old 25 to 34 years old Total, 25 to 64
years old
25 to 34 years old Total, 25 to 64
years old
25 to 34 years old 35 to 44 years old 45 to 54 years old 55 to 64 years old Total, 25 to 64
years old
25 to 34 years old 35 to 44 years old 45 to 54 years old 55 to 64 years old
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
OECD average3  22.6 27.3 31.5 (0.04) 38.6 (0.09) 9.9 (0.03) 10.3 (0.06) 10.9 (0.06) 10.0 (0.06) 8.3 (0.06) 22.8 (0.04) 29.5 (0.08) 24.7 (0.07) 19.4 (0.07) 16.6 (0.07)
Australia 29.0 33.5 38.3 (0.27) 44.6 (0.56) 10.4 (0.17) 9.6 (0.33) 11.1 (0.34) 11.7 (0.36) 9.1 (0.35) 27.9 (0.25) 35.0 (0.53) 29.9 (0.50) 23.6 (0.47) 21.1 (0.50)
Austria 14.1 14.3 19.3 (0.24) 21.2 (0.60) 7.3 (0.18) 5.5 (0.36) 7.5 (0.26) 8.3 (0.23) 7.7 (0.38) 12.0 (0.18) 15.7 (0.49) 13.8 (0.42) 10.4 (0.35) 7.9 (0.34)
Belgium 27.6 37.5 34.6 (0.20) 42.5 (0.45) 17.6 (0.16) 19.3 (0.36) 19.9 (0.34) 17.1 (0.31) 13.7 (0.30) 17.0 (0.16) 23.1 (0.39) 19.5 (0.34) 14.2 (0.28) 11.4 (0.27)
Canada 41.6 50.5 51.3 (0.22) 56.7 (0.39) 24.6 (0.16) 25.6 (0.33) 26.4 (0.31) 25.1 (0.27) 20.8 (0.27) 26.8 (0.23) 31.1 (0.41) 31.6 (0.40) 22.9 (0.32) 21.8 (0.34)
Chile4  10.1 12.3 28.9 (0.18) 41.3 (0.34) 12.1 (0.13) 14.5 (0.23) 15.1 (0.22) 11.2 (0.20) 6.5 (0.18) 16.8 (0.15) 26.8 (0.30) 14.7 (0.23) 11.5 (0.22) 14.9 (0.28)
                                                     
Czech Republic5  11.1 11.3 18.2 (0.11) 25.1 (0.26) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) 18.2 (0.11) 25.1 (0.26) 17.9 (0.21) 17.1 (0.22) 12.1 (0.17)
Denmark 26.8 27.5 33.7 (0.19) 38.6 (0.47) 5.6 (0.09) 5.4 (0.22) 6.4 (0.19) 5.6 (0.16) 5.0 (0.17) 28.1 (0.18) 33.2 (0.45) 31.1 (0.36) 25.9 (0.31) 22.9 (0.33)
Estonia --- --- 36.7 (0.45) 39.0 (0.99) 12.1 (0.30) 12.3 (0.67) 11.7 (0.57) 13.1 (0.58) 11.1 (0.59) 24.6 (0.40) 26.7 (0.90) 23.4 (0.75) 24.2 (0.74) 24.1 (0.81)
Finland 32.3 38.2 39.3 (0.24) 39.4 (0.50) 14.4 (0.17) 1.6 (0.13) 16.7 (0.39) 21.7 (0.40) 16.6 (0.35) 24.9 (0.21) 37.8 (0.50) 30.1 (0.48) 19.4 (0.39) 14.7 (0.33)
France 23.0 34.2 29.8 (0.09) 43.0 (0.21) 11.5 (0.06) 16.0 (0.16) 14.3 (0.13) 9.3 (0.11) 6.5 (0.09) 18.3 (0.07) 27.0 (0.19) 21.3 (0.16) 13.2 (0.13) 12.1 (0.12)
                                                     
Germany 23.2 21.8 27.6 (0.08) 27.7 (0.19) 11.2 (0.06) 9.4 (0.11) 11.4 (0.12) 12.4 (0.11) 11.2 (0.12) 16.4 (0.07) 18.3 (0.16) 17.5 (0.14) 15.0 (0.12) 15.0 (0.14)
Greece 17.8 24.0 26.1 (0.12) 32.5 (0.26) 7.7 (0.07) 11.8 (0.18) 8.7 (0.14) 6.3 (0.12) 3.4 (0.09) 18.3 (0.10) 20.7 (0.23) 19.1 (0.20) 17.9 (0.19) 15.1 (0.19)
Hungary 14.1 14.7 21.1 (0.26) 28.1 (0.44) 0.6 (0.04) 1.6 (0.11) 0.5 (0.07) 0.3 (†) (†) 20.5 (0.26) 26.5 (0.43) 20.9 (0.44) 17.7 (0.47) 16.3 (0.48)
Iceland 24.8 26.6 33.9 (0.50) 39.4 (1.01) 3.9 (0.20) 2.5 (0.32) 4.9 (0.47) 4.1 (0.40) 3.9 (0.44) 30.0 (0.49) 36.9 (0.99) 34.2 (1.02) 27.0 (0.90) 20.1 (0.91)
Ireland 35.6 47.8 37.7 (0.14) 47.2 (0.28) 14.7 (0.10) 16.1 (0.20) 17.5 (0.20) 13.4 (0.20) 9.9 (0.19) 23.1 (0.12) 31.1 (0.26) 25.9 (0.24) 17.5 (0.22) 12.9 (0.22)
                                                     
Israel --- --- 46.4 (0.20) 45.0 (0.38) 15.4 (0.14) 13.4 (0.25) 15.5 (0.29) 16.5 (0.30) 17.1 (0.32) 31.0 (0.18) 31.6 (0.35) 34.1 (0.37) 28.8 (0.37) 28.2 (0.38)
Italy 10.0 11.8 14.9 (0.08) 21.0 (0.20) 0.3 (0.01) 0.2 (0.02) 0.3 (0.02) 0.5 (0.02) 0.3 (0.02) 14.6 (0.08) 20.7 (0.20) 16.3 (0.16) 11.0 (0.14) 10.5 (0.15)
Japan 33.8 47.7 46.4 (0.19) 58.7 (0.40) 20.1 (0.15) 23.8 (0.35) 24.7 (0.33) 20.3 (0.34) 12.2 (0.30) 26.3 (0.17) 34.9 (0.39) 26.5 (0.33) 26.7 (0.37) 18.5 (0.36)
Korea, Republic of 24.2 39.5 40.4 (0.25) 63.8 (0.46) 12.6 (0.17) 24.9 (0.43) 14.9 (0.31) 6.1 (0.22) 2.1 (0.16) 27.8 (0.23) 38.9 (0.47) 34.6 (0.44) 21.8 (0.40) 10.7 (0.40)
Luxembourg 18.1 23.4 37.0 (0.46) 46.6 (1.02) 12.0 (0.31) 14.5 (0.72) 12.8 (0.57) 10.5 (0.55) 9.6 (0.61) 25.1 (0.41) 32.2 (0.96) 27.1 (0.76) 20.7 (0.73) 18.7 (0.80)
                                                     
Mexico 15.0 17.9 17.3 (#) 22.5 (#) 1.1 (#) 1.2 (#) 1.1 (#) 1.2 (#) 0.7 (#) 16.2 (#) 21.3 (#) 14.3 (#) 15.1 (#) 11.3 (#)
Netherlands 23.2 26.5 32.0 (0.09) 39.8 (0.23) 2.5 (0.03) 2.2 (0.07) 2.9 (0.07) 2.8 (0.06) 2.2 (0.06) 29.5 (0.09) 37.6 (0.22) 31.3 (0.19) 26.5 (0.16) 23.6 (0.17)
New Zealand 29.2 28.5 39.3 (0.41) 46.0 (0.90) 15.5 (0.30) 14.6 (0.64) 14.8 (0.57) 16.4 (0.58) 16.2 (0.63) 23.8 (0.35) 31.4 (0.84) 26.2 (0.70) 20.4 (0.64) 16.5 (0.64)
Norway 30.2 37.9 38.1 (0.20) 46.8 (0.45) 2.2 (0.06) 1.1 (0.09) 2.2 (0.12) 2.9 (0.14) 2.8 (0.14) 35.8 (0.20) 45.7 (0.45) 39.4 (0.39) 31.0 (0.38) 26.5 (0.37)
Poland5  11.9 15.2 23.7 (0.09) 39.2 (0.21) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) 23.7 (0.09) 39.2 (0.21) 24.4 (0.19) 15.6 (0.15) 12.8 (0.13)
                                                     
Portugal5  9.0 13.7 17.3 (0.13) 26.9 (0.35) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) 17.3 (0.13) 26.9 (0.35) 18.6 (0.27) 11.5 (0.20) 10.9 (0.21)
Slovak Republic 10.9 11.9 18.8 (0.32) 25.7 (0.86) 1.3 (0.09) 1.3 (0.22) 1.2 (0.19) 1.4 (0.19) 1.2 (0.17) 17.5 (0.31) 24.4 (0.85) 16.1 (0.63) 14.9 (0.57) 12.7 (0.52)
Slovenia --- --- 25.1 (0.23) 33.8 (0.53) 11.2 (0.17) 12.6 (0.37) 11.6 (0.36) 11.7 (0.31) 8.7 (0.29) 13.9 (0.18) 21.2 (0.46) 16.5 (0.42) 10.1 (0.29) 7.7 (0.27)
Spain 23.6 35.5 31.6 (0.27) 39.2 (0.60) 9.3 (0.17) 12.4 (0.41) 11.6 (0.35) 7.3 (0.28) 4.1 (0.24) 22.3 (0.24) 26.7 (0.54) 25.5 (0.47) 19.8 (0.43) 14.5 (0.42)
Sweden 31.6 36.9 35.2 (0.11) 42.9 (0.23) 9.0 (0.07) 8.6 (0.13) 8.5 (0.13) 9.2 (0.13) 9.7 (0.13) 26.2 (0.10) 34.2 (0.22) 30.5 (0.21) 21.4 (0.19) 18.5 (0.17)
                                                     
Switzerland 25.4 25.6 35.2 (0.16) 39.8 (0.38) 10.7 (0.10) 9.5 (0.23) 11.8 (0.20) 11.5 (0.20) 9.4 (0.19) 24.5 (0.14) 30.3 (0.35) 27.7 (0.28) 21.9 (0.26) 17.7 (0.25)
Turkey5  8.9 10.2 14.0 (0.07) 18.9 (0.14) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) 14.0 (0.07) 18.9 (0.14) 13.5 (0.13) 9.5 (0.12) 9.8 (0.14)
United Kingdom 26.0 30.0 39.4 (0.10) 46.9 (0.23) 9.8 (0.06) 7.6 (0.12) 10.6 (0.13) 11.7 (0.13) 9.3 (0.12) 29.6 (0.10) 39.3 (0.22) 32.0 (0.20) 24.1 (0.18) 22.0 (0.18)
United States 37.3 39.1 42.4 (0.22) 43.1 (0.46) 10.3 (0.11) 10.1 (0.24) 10.4 (0.22) 10.7 (0.21) 9.8 (0.25) 32.2 (0.22) 33.0 (0.45) 34.2 (0.40) 30.2 (0.39) 31.4 (0.39)
                                                     
Other reporting
     countries
                                                   
Brazil4,5  7.7 6.7 11.6 (0.07) 12.7 (0.12) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) [5 ] (†) 11.6 (0.07) 12.7 (0.12) 11.8 (0.13) 11.4 (0.14) 9.5 (0.16)
China4,6 4.6 6.1 3.6 (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
Russian Federation7  54.0 55.5 53.5 (†) 56.5 (†) 26.4 (†) 22.4 (†) 26.9 (†) 28.4 (†) 28.7 (†) 27.1 (†) 34.1 (†) 27.9 (†) 23.9 (†) 20.8 (†)
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
1 The vocational degree data in this table refer to degrees classified as International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) level 5B. ISCED level 5B corresponds to the associate's degree in the United States.
2 The data for bachelor’s degree or higher in this table refer to degrees classified as ISCED level 5A (first and second award) and as level 6. ISCED 5A, first award, corresponds to the bachelor's degree in the United States; ISCED 5A, second award, corresponds to master's and first-professional degrees in the United States; and ISCED 6 corresponds to doctor's degrees.
3 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. The average includes all current OECD countries for which a given year's data are available, even if they were not members of OECD in that year.
4 Data from 2000 reported for 2001.
5 Columns for bachelor's or higher degree include vocational degree data.
6 Data from 2010 reported for 2011.
7 Data from 2002 reported for 2001.
NOTE: Standard errors are not available for 2001.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance, 2002 and 2013. (This table was prepared July 2013.)