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Digest of Education Statistics: 2019
Digest of Education Statistics: 2019

NCES 2021-009
February 2021

Chapter 6: International Comparisons of Education

This chapter offers a statistical overview of education around the world, which provides an international context for examining the condition of education in the United States. Insights and new perspectives on U.S. educational practices and outcomes have emerged by comparing them with those of other education systems. The data in this chapter are drawn from materials collected or prepared by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Most of the education systems that report to these agencies represent entire countries; however, some of the tables in this chapter also include data for subnational entities with separate education systems, such as Hong Kong or French-speaking Belgium. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) carries out a variety of activities to provide statistical data for international comparisons of education.

Basic summary data on enrollments and enrollment ratios, teachers, educational attainment, and finances are synthesized from data published by the OECD in the Online Education Database, as well as from data collected by UNESCO. Even though these tabulations are carefully prepared, international data users should be cautioned about the many problems of definition and reporting involved in the collection of data about the education systems around the world, which vary greatly in structure, organization, and practices from country to country (see the UNESCO entry at the end of Appendix A: Guide to Sources).

This chapter also presents data from international studies carried out under the aegis of IEA or OECD and supported by NCES. Three of these studies include assessments of student achievement: (1) the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which assesses the mathematics and science knowledge and skills of fourth- and eighth-graders every 4 years; (2) the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which measures the reading knowledge and skills of fourth-graders every 5 years; and (3) the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures the reading, mathematics, and science literacy of 15-year-olds every 3 years.

This chapter mainly focuses on data for the OECD countries. All current member countries for which a given year’s data are available are included in the discussion, even if they were not members of OECD in that year. Even though there are 37 current OECD countries, not all data are available for all countries in all years. Some discussions in this chapter are only based on data for 36 OECD countries. Further information on survey methodologies is in Appendix A: Guide to Sources and in the publications cited in the table source notes.

School-Age Population

The percentage of the population who are of school-age (and hence eligible to attend publicly or privately supported schools) varies markedly across countries. Among the 37 OECD countries, all of which reported data to UNESCO in 2017, the percentage of the country’s population made up of children ages 5 to 14 was highest in Mexico and Israel (18 percent each), followed by Colombia (17 percent) and Turkey (16 percent; web-only table 601.30). OECD countries with the lowest percentages of children in this age range were Italy, the Republic of Korea, Germany, and Japan (9 percent each). In the United States, 13 percent of the population was 5 to 14 years old—a higher percentage than the OECD average (12 percent) and the percentages in the majority of other OECD countries.

The percentage of the population made up of teenagers between 15 and 19 years old was highest in Mexico (9 percent). Other countries with percentages of 15- to 19-year-olds of 8 percent or higher included Colombia (9 percent) and Turkey (8 percent). Latvia and the Czech Republic (both 4 percent) had the lowest percentages of 15- to 19-year-olds among OECD countries. In the United States, 7 percent of the population was 15 to 19 years old—a higher percentage than the OECD average (6 percent).

School Enrollments

In 2017, about 1.6 billion students were enrolled in schools around the world (table 601.10). Of these students, roughly 741 million were in elementary programs, 588 million were in secondary programs, and 223 million were in postsecondary programs.

Changes in enrollment over time vary from region to region. Compared to 2000, elementary school enrollment in 2017 was 76 percent higher in Africa, 36 percent higher in Oceania, and 2 percent higher in Asia (table F, table 601.10, and figure 27). In contrast, elementary enrollment in 2017 was 9 percent lower in Central and South America (including Latin America and the Caribbean) than in 2000, and 5 percent lower in Europe. In Northern America (including Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and the United States), elementary enrollment was less than 1 percent higher in 2017 than it was in 2000.

At the secondary level, enrollment in 2017 was 106 percent higher in Africa, 38 percent higher in Asia, 20 percent higher in Oceania, 13 percent higher in Central and South America, and 9 percent higher in Northern America than it was in 2000. In contrast, secondary enrollment in Europe was 18 percent lower in 2017 than it was in 2000.

At the postsecondary level, enrollment in all major areas of the world was higher in 2017 than it was in 2000. Postsecondary enrollment in 2017 was 210 percent higher in Asia, 144 percent higher in Central and South America, 141 percent higher in Africa, 61 percent higher in Oceania, 43 percent higher in Northern America, and 14 percent higher in Europe than it was in 2000.

Table F. Population and enrollment at different levels of education in major areas of the world: 2000 and 2017
 
[In millions]
Area of the world Population Enrollment
Elementary Secondary Postsecondary
World total        
2000 6,086.1 657.3 452.3 100.2
2017 7,424.4 740.9 588.4 227.7
   Africa        
   2000 807.2 109.4 38.4 6.2
   2017 1,234.7 192.1 78.9 14.8
   Asia        
   2000 3,686.1 405.4 258.4 41.3
   2017 4,411.8 413.6 356.2 128.1
   Europe        
   2000 730.4 41.7 70.5 25.5
   2017 747.2 39.8 57.7 29.0
   Central and South America        
   2000 518.6 70.2 56.7 11.5
   2017 630.9 63.6 64.2 28.0
   Northern America        
   2000 313.4 27.4 25.1 14.4
   2017 361.5 27.5 27.4 20.6
   Oceania        
   2000 30.4 3.1 3.2 1.3
   2017 38.0 4.3 3.9 2.1
SOURCE: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, unpublished tabulations; and U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, International Data Base.

Percent of Population Enrolled

Across OECD countries in 2017, an average of 83 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds were enrolled in preschool, with 25 of the 36 OECD countries that reported data reporting preschool enrollment rates of 80 percent or higher (table 601.35). The countries with the lowest enrollment rates of 3- and 4-year-olds were the United States (54 percent), Greece (51 percent), Switzerland (25 percent), and Turkey (23 percent).

The average enrollment rate of 5- to 14-year-olds was 98 percent across all OECD countries in 2017, with 35 OECD countries reporting enrollment rates of 93 percent or higher. In the United States, the enrollment rate for 5- to 14-year-olds was over 99 percent, which was higher than the OECD average of 98 percent.

For 15- to 19-year-olds, the percentage of the population enrolled varied more than at the elementary level because of differences in countries’ educational systems as well as in the age ranges covered by their compulsory schooling laws. Among the 36 OECD countries that reported data, 10 countries had rates of at least 90 percent while 3 countries had rates of 70 percent or lower (table 601.40). The U.S. enrollment rate for 15- to 19-year-olds was 83 percent, which was lower than the OECD average (84 percent).

It is important to note that enrollment rates for students in this age range include enrollment at both the secondary and postsecondary level. It also should be noted that the age at which students are typically eligible to graduate from secondary school and start postsecondary education varies across countries. For this reason, students in some countries need to complete the equivalent of what is a fifth year of high school in the United States to graduate from the secondary level. Likewise, students in some countries typically enroll in secondary career/technical programs at older ages than in the United States.

Across all OECD countries in 2017, a higher percentage of 17-year-olds were enrolled at the secondary level than at the postsecondary level (table 601.40). However, for 19-year-olds, 14 OECD countries had a higher percentage enrolled at the secondary level than at the postsecondary level, while in 22 countries a higher percentage were enrolled at the postsecondary level than at the secondary level. In 3 countries, the percentage of 19-year-olds enrolled at the secondary level was at least 5 times higher than the percentage enrolled at the postsecondary level. At the other end of the spectrum, in 6 countries (including the United States), the percentage of 19-year-olds enrolled at the postsecondary level was at least 5 times higher than the percentage enrolled at the secondary level.

For 20- to 29-year-olds, enrollment rates across the 36 OECD countries that reported data were much lower than for the other age ranges. Four OECD countries had enrollment rates of at least 40 percent, while 4 OECD countries had rates of 20 percent or lower. The U.S. enrollment rate for 20- to 29-year-olds was 25 percent, which was lower than the OECD average (28 percent). For just 20-year-olds, 13 OECD countries reported a secondary enrollment rate of at least 15 percent, and 4 OECD countries reported a higher enrollment rate at the secondary level than at the postsecondary level. However, for the whole 20- to 29-year-old age group, no OECD countries reported a higher enrollment rate at the secondary level than at the postsecondary level, and all secondary enrollment rates were below 15 percent (table 601.40). At the postsecondary level, only 3 OECD countries reported an enrollment rate below 15 percent for this whole age group, and 11 countries reported a rate of at least 25 percent. The U.S. postsecondary enrollment rate for 20- to 29-year-olds was 23 percent—higher than the OECD postsecondary average for this age group (22 percent). However, the overall secondary and postsecondary enrollment rate for 20- to 29-year-olds in the United States was below the OECD average, because about 4 percent of OECD 20- to 29-year-olds were enrolled in programs classified at the secondary level within their countries while no 20- to 29-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in programs classified as at the secondary level.

Student Achievement

Mathematics and Science at Grades 4 and 8

The 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessed students’ mathematics and science performance at grades 4 and 8. Mathematics performance was assessed in 43 countries at grade 4 and in 34 countries at grade 8. Science performance was assessed in 42 countries at grade 4 and in 34 countries at grade 8. TIMSS Advanced data were also collected by 9 countries from students in their final year of secondary school (grade 12 in the United States). At grades 4 and 8, in addition to countries, several subnational entities also participated in TIMSS as separate education systems. Examples of subnational participants include Hong Kong, the U.S. state of Florida, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, England and Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, and the Flemish community in Belgium. In the following paragraphs, comparisons of the United States to other countries do not include the subnational participants. Results for Florida are based on public school students only, while U.S. national results are based on both public and private school students. TIMSS is a curriculum based assessment, and the assessments of fourth- and eighth-graders measure what students have actually learned against the subject matter that is expected to be taught by the end of grades 4 and 8, as described in the TIMSS mathematics and science frameworks, which guide assessment development. TIMSS Advanced is designed to broadly align with the advanced mathematics and physics curricula in the participating countries. At all three grades, TIMSS scores are reported on a scale of 0 to 1,000, with a fixed scale centerpoint of 500. The scale centerpoint represents the mean of the overall achievement distribution in 1995. The TIMSS scale is the same in each administration; thus, a value of 500 in 2015 equals 500 in 1995.

In 2015, the average mathematics scores of U.S. fourth-graders (539) and eighth-graders (518) were higher than the TIMSS scale centerpoint of 500 (tables 602.20 and 602.30). At grade 4, the average U.S. mathematics score was higher than the average score in 30 of the 42 other countries participating at grade 4, lower than the average score in 6 countries, and not measurably different from the average score in the remaining 6 countries (table 602.20). The 6 countries that outperformed the United States in fourth-grade mathematics were Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, the Russian Federation, and Singapore.

At grade 8, the average U.S. mathematics score was higher than the average score in 21 of the 33 other participating countries, lower than the average score in 5 countries, and not measurably different from the average score in the remaining 7 countries (table 602.30). The 5 countries that outperformed the United States in eighth-grade mathematics were Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and Singapore.

Florida, the only U.S. state participating in the 2015 TIMSS as a separate education system, had an average mathematics score for public schools at grade 4 (546) that was higher than the TIMSS scale centerpoint but was not measurably different from the U.S. national average score in mathematics (table 602.20). At grade 8, Florida had a public school average score (493) that was not measurably different from the TIMSS scale centerpoint but was lower than the U.S. national average in mathematics (table 602.30).

In science, the average scores of both U.S. fourth-graders (546) and U.S. eighth-graders (530) were higher than the TIMSS scale centerpoint of 500 in 2015 (tables 602.20 and 602.30). The average U.S. fourth-grade science score was higher than the average score in 30 of the 41 other countries participating at grade 4, lower than the average score in 5 countries, and not measurably different from the average score in the remaining 6 countries (table 602.20). The 5 countries that outperformed the United States in fourth-grade science were Finland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and Singapore.

At grade 8, the average U.S. science score was higher than the average score in 23 of the 33 other countries participating at grade 8, lower than the average score in 5 countries, and not measurably different from the average score in the remaining 5 countries (table 602.30). The 5 countries that outperformed the United States in eighth-grade science were Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Singapore, and Slovenia.

Public schools in Florida had an average fourth-grade science score (549) that was higher than the TIMSS scale centerpoint but was not measurably different from the U.S. national average (table 602.20). At grade 8, Florida had a public school average score (508) that was not measurably different from the TIMSS scale centerpoint but was lower than the U.S. national average in science (table 602.30).

The TIMSS Advanced assessment measures the advanced mathematics and physics achievement of students in their final year of secondary school who are taking or have taken advanced courses in those two subjects (table 602.35). On TIMSS Advanced in 2015, the U.S. average advanced mathematics score (485) and physics score (437) were both lower than the TIMSS Advanced scale centerpoint of 500. However, the U.S. average scores in advanced mathematics and physics were not measurably different than the U.S. average scores in those subjects in 1995. No education systems had higher average advanced mathematics or physics scores in 2015 than in 1995, but three education systems (France, Italy, and Sweden) had lower average scores in advanced mathematics and four (France, Norway, Russian Federation, and Sweden) had lower average physics scores.

Reading Literacy at Grade 4

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) conducted international assessments of fourth-grade reading literacy in 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016. In 2016, PIRLS participants consisted of 43 countries as well as several subnational education systems. Examples of subnational participants include Hong Kong, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, England and Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, and the Flemish and French communities in Belgium. PIRLS scores are reported on a scale of 0 to 1,000, with a fixed scale centerpoint of 500.

On the 2016 PIRLS, U.S. fourth-graders had an average reading literacy score of 549 (table 602.10). The U.S. average score in 2016 was 7 points lower than in 2011 but 10 points higher than in 2006. In all 4 assessment years, the U.S. average score was higher than the PIRLS scale centerpoint.

In 2016, the average reading literacy score of fourth-graders in the United States was higher than the average score in 24 of the 42 other participating countries, lower than the average score in 7 countries, and not measurably different from the average score in the remaining 11 countries. The 7 countries that outperformed the United States on the 2016 PIRLS were Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, and Singapore.

Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy at Age 15

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses 15-year-old students’ application of reading, mathematics, and science literacy to problems within a real-life context. In 2018, PISA assessed students in all 37 OECD countries as well as more than 40 other education systems. While data on mathematics literacy and science literacy were reported for all OECD countries, data on reading literacy were reported for only 36 countries due to data quality concerns. PISA scores are reported on a scale of 0 to 1,000.

On the 2018 PISA assessment, U.S. 15-year-olds’ average score in reading literacy was 505, which was higher than the OECD average score of 487 (table 602.50). The average reading literacy score in the United States was lower than the average score in 4 other OECD countries, higher than the average score in 21 OECD countries, and not measurably different from the average score in 10 OECD countries. In all participating education systems, females outperformed males in reading literacy (table 602.40). The U.S. gender gap in reading (24 points) was not measurably different from the OECD average gap, but was smaller than the gaps in 12 other OECD countries, larger than the gaps in 2 OECD countries, and not measurably different from the gaps in 21 other OECD countries.

In mathematics literacy, U.S. 15-year-olds’ average score of 478 on the 2018 PISA assessment was lower than the OECD average score of 489 (table 602.60). The average mathematics literacy score in the United States was lower than the average score in 24 other OECD countries, higher than the average score in 6 OECD countries, and not measurably different from the average score in 6 OECD countries. In 21 OECD countries, including the United States, males outperformed females in mathematics literacy; in 3 countries, females outperformed males in mathematics (table 602.40).

In science literacy, U.S. 15-year-olds’ average score of 502 on the 2018 PISA assessment was higher than the OECD average score of 489 (table 602.70). The average science literacy score in the United States was lower than the average score in 6 other OECD countries, higher than the average score in 19 OECD countries, and not measurably different from the average score in 11 OECD countries. On average across OECD countries, females outperformed male students in science by 2 points. There was no measurable difference in the average science literacy scores for males and females in 22 OECD countries, including the United States. In 13 OECD countries, females outperformed males in science literacy; in 2 countries, males outperformed females in science literacy.

Educational Attainment

In 2018, the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds who had completed high school varied among the 34 reporting OECD countries (table 603.10). The OECD country reporting the highest percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds who had completed high school was the Czech Republic (94 percent). High school completers made up more than 90 percent of 25- to 64-year-olds in 5 other OECD countries, including the United States (91 percent). The OECD countries reporting the lowest percentages of 25- to 64-year-olds who had completed high school were Turkey (40 percent) and Mexico (39 percent).

In 2018, the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds with a postsecondary degree (i.e., any degree at the associate’s level or higher) also varied among the 35 OECD countries reporting data for this level of educational attainment (table 603.20). The OECD country reporting the highest percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds with a postsecondary degree was Canada (58 percent). The countries with the next highest percentages were Japan (52 percent), Republic of Korea (49 percent), the United States and Ireland (both 47 percent). An additional 11 OECD countries reported that more than 40 percent of their 25- to 64-year-olds had a postsecondary degree. The OECD countries reporting the lowest percentages of 25- to 64-year-olds with a postsecondary degree were Turkey (21 percent), Italy (19 percent), and Mexico (18 percent).

Among younger adults (those 25 to 34 years old) in the 35 OECD countries reporting data, the percentage with a postsecondary degree also varied in 2018 (table 603.20 and figure 28). The OECD country reporting the highest percentage of younger adults with a postsecondary degree was the Republic of Korea (70 percent). Eight other OECD countries reported percentages of younger adults with a postsecondary degree that were higher than the percentage in the United States (49 percent). In contrast, 25 countries reported percentages of younger adults with a postsecondary degree that were lower than the percentage in the United States. Three OECD countries reported that under 30 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds completed postsecondary education: Colombia (29 percent), Italy (28 percent), and Mexico (23 percent).

Postsecondary Degrees Awarded, by Sex and in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields

In 2017, women earned more than half of all postsecondary degrees (i.e., any degree at the associate’s level or higher) in 34 of the 36 OECD countries reporting the percentage of degrees awarded to females (web-only table 603.60). In the United States, women earned 58 percent of all postsecondary degrees awarded. However, the percentage of degrees women earned varied by field. Thirty-six OECD countries reported data for degrees awarded in the field of education; in 34 of these countries, including the United States (79 percent), at least 70 percent of education degrees were awarded to women. In contrast, women earned less than 25 percent of degrees in the combined field of engineering, manufacturing, and construction in 16 OECD countries, including the United States. In the United States, women earned 21 percent of degrees in engineering, manufacturing, and construction.

In 2017, the percentage of bachelor’s degrees awarded in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields—including natural sciences, mathematics, statistics, information and communication technologies, engineering, manufacturing, and construction—varied across OECD countries (web-only table 603.70). Two OECD countries awarded 30 percent or more of their bachelor’s degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields: Germany (35 percent) and the Republic of Korea (32 percent). Four countries awarded 16 percent or less of their bachelor’s degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields: Norway, Belgium, and Colombia each awarded 16 percent, and the Netherlands awarded 15 percent. The United States awarded 21 percent of its bachelor’s degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields, which was lower than the OECD average (23 percent).

The percentages of graduate degrees awarded in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields varied widely across OECD countries in 2017. A higher percentage of degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields were awarded at the doctor’s degree level than at the master’s degree level in every OECD country except Japan. At the master’s level, 5 OECD countries awarded 30 percent or more of their degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields: Japan (43 percent), Germany (35 percent), Portugal (34 percent), Estonia (33 percent), and Sweden (31 percent). The United States awarded 17 percent of its master’s degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields, which was lower than the OECD average (23 percent). However, 6 OECD countries awarded less than 15 percent of their master’s degrees in these fields: Iceland (13 percent), Colombia (13 percent), Israel (12 percent), Luxembourg (10 percent), Mexico (9 percent), and Chile (7 percent). At the doctoral level, 10 OECD countries awarded at least half of their degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields: France (62 percent), Israel (57 percent), Luxembourg (57 percent), Estonia (55 percent), Canada (51 percent), Chile (51 percent), Lithuania (50 percent), Sweden (50 percent), Switzerland (50 percent), and the Czech Republic (50 percent). Two OECD countries reported awarding 30 percent or less of their doctor’s degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields: Netherlands (30 percent) and Mexico (19 percent). The United States awarded 42 percent of its doctor’s degrees in science and mathematics, information technologies, and engineering fields; this was lower than the OECD average of 43 percent.

Finances

In 2016, expenditures per full-time-equivalent (FTE) student (expressed in current U.S. dollars) varied by level of education and across OECD countries. At the combined elementary and secondary level of education, expenditures per FTE student were $13,000 in the United States, which was higher than the OECD average of $9,400 (table 605.10). In addition to the United States, 5 of the 35 other OECD countries that reported data at the combined elementary and secondary level had expenditures of at least $12,000 per FTE student: Luxembourg ($19,800), Switzerland ($15,500), Austria ($14,700), Norway ($13,800), and Belgium ($12,300). At the postsecondary level, the United States spent $30,200 per FTE student, which was higher than the OECD average of $15,500. In addition to the United States, 5 of the 33 other OECD countries that reported higher education finance data had expenditures of over $20,000 per FTE student: Luxembourg ($48,400), Sweden ($24,300), the United Kingdom ($23,800), Canada ($23,700), and Norway ($22,000). These expenditures were adjusted to U.S. dollars using the purchasing-power-parity (PPP) index. This index is considered more stable and comparable than indexes using currency exchange rates; for more information, see Appendix B: Definitions.

Total government and private expenditures on education institutions as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) varied across the 35 reporting OECD countries in 2016, ranging from 3.2 in Luxembourg to 6.5 percent in Norway (table 605.20 and figure 29). In the United States, total expenditures on education institutions (based on international definitions) amounted to 6.0 percent of GDP, which was higher than the OECD average (5.0 percent). A comparison of government expenditures on education institutions as a percentage of GDP shows that public investment in education ranged from 2.9 percent in Japan to 6.3 percent in Norway. In the United States, the government expenditure on education institutions as a percentage of GDP was 4.1 percent, which was higher than the OECD average government expenditure on education institutions (4.0 percent of GDP). The percentage of private expenditures on education ranged from a low of 0.1 percent in Finland, Luxembourg, and Norway to 2.3 percent in Chile and 2.4 percent in Colombia. The U.S. percentage (1.9 percent) was higher than the OECD average (0.9 percent).

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