Higher Education Attainment by Parents’ Education: OECD 2025
Tertiary attainment among 25–34-year-olds remains closely associated with parental education. The OECD average ranges from 25.8% among young adults whose parents did not complete upper secondary education to 69.7% among those with at least one tertiary-educated parent.
OECD Attainment Snapshot
The 2025 report uses the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills for the current parental-education comparison.
Largest Reported Parent-Education Gaps
Visual summary of the 15 largest complete differences in Table A1.4. The full source coverage remains in the table that follows.
Tertiary attainment gap between high- and low-parent education groups
25–34-year-olds, 2023, percentage points
The gap is a page-level calculation using unrounded OECD percentages. It describes association, not causation.
Chart analysis
- Poland has the largest complete reported difference at 68.0 percentage points.
- Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Lithuania also exceed 60 percentage points.
- Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Austria and Estonia form the next group, with differences from 47.6 to 49.6 points.
- The chart excludes Czechia, Finland, Japan and Latvia because the 2023 low-parent estimate is not reported.
- Sampling uncertainty means small cross-system differences should not be treated as precise rank differences.
Tertiary Attainment by Parents’ Education
Percent of 25–34-year-olds with tertiary attainment. Change columns compare 2023 with the earlier PIAAC cycle conducted in 2012–15 and labelled 2012 in the OECD table.
| System | Parents below upper secondary | Parents upper secondary | Tertiary-educated parent | High-low gap | Low-parent change | High-parent change | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OECD average | 25.8% | 44.4% | 69.7% | 43.9 pp | +3.0 pp | +4.9 pp | 2023 |
| Austria | 15.7% | 36.7% | 63.3% | 47.6 pp | +7.3 pp | +27.1 pp | 2023 |
| Canada | 38.1% | 50.7% | 74.0% | 35.9 pp | +0.9 pp | +4.4 pp | 2023 |
| Chile | 24.6% | 49.4% | 68.0% | 43.4 pp | +7.3 pp | -3.8 pp | 2023 |
| Czechia | Not reported | 30.0% | 60.3% | Not reported | Not reported | -7.6 pp | 2023 |
| Denmark | 48.5% | 45.3% | 70.0% | 21.5 pp | +20.1 pp | +3.5 pp | 2023 |
| Estonia | 16.7% | 41.2% | 64.3% | 47.6 pp | -3.8 pp | +7.2 pp | 2023 |
| Finland | Not reported | 37.3% | 62.3% | Not reported | Not reported | +9.5 pp | 2023 |
| France | 32.1% | 55.3% | 74.9% | 42.8 pp | -0.9 pp | -7.0 pp | 2023 |
| Germany | 19.6% | 31.7% | 62.1% | 42.4 pp | +7.1 pp | +10.1 pp | 2023 |
| Hungary | 6.5% | 34.1% | 70.6% | 64.1 pp | -0.6 pp | +2.1 pp | 2023 |
| Ireland | 39.1% | 59.4% | 79.2% | 40.1 pp | +7.2 pp | +12.2 pp | 2023 |
| Israel | 25.5% | 45.5% | 62.6% | 37.1 pp | -3.2 pp | -2.0 pp | 2023 |
| Italy | 14.6% | 34.6% | 63.4% | 48.9 pp | +4.4 pp | +2.2 pp | 2023 |
| Japan | Not reported | 43.2% | 71.5% | Not reported | Not reported | +0.5 pp | 2023 |
| Korea | 45.3% | 78.0% | 85.5% | 40.2 pp | -7.5 pp | +6.2 pp | 2023 |
| Latvia | Not reported | 40.4% | 74.3% | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 2023 |
| Lithuania | 4.5% | 38.5% | 66.0% | 61.5 pp | -4.1 pp | +6.6 pp | 2023 |
| Netherlands | 31.9% | 51.1% | 72.5% | 40.6 pp | +3.1 pp | +12.2 pp | 2023 |
| New Zealand | 38.8% | 50.5% | 77.2% | 38.4 pp | -0.3 pp | +7.7 pp | 2023 |
| Norway | 29.6% | 51.3% | 73.3% | 43.7 pp | -1.5 pp | +14.5 pp | 2023 |
| Poland | 10.9% | 32.3% | 78.9% | 68.0 pp | -4.8 pp | +0.0 pp | 2023 |
| Portugal | 23.1% | 43.0% | 72.7% | 49.6 pp | Not reported | Not reported | 2023 |
| Slovak Republic | 2.8% | 30.8% | 65.3% | 62.5 pp | -0.4 pp | +2.9 pp | 2023 |
| Spain | 30.0% | 56.4% | 75.0% | 45.0 pp | +2.7 pp | +6.9 pp | 2023 |
| Sweden | 22.9% | 40.4% | 49.2% | 26.3 pp | -3.5 pp | -2.9 pp | 2023 |
| Switzerland | 28.2% | 45.4% | 64.3% | 36.1 pp | Not reported | Not reported | 2023 |
| United States | 22.3% | 36.0% | 68.0% | 45.7 pp | +3.6 pp | +5.8 pp | 2023 |
| England (UK) | 37.4% | 48.3% | 76.5% | 39.1 pp | +12.1 pp | +2.2 pp | 2023 |
| Flemish Region (Belgium) | 35.0% | 51.3% | 75.9% | 40.9 pp | +11.9 pp | +4.6 pp | 2023 |
| Croatia | 10.7% | 35.6% | 58.5% | 47.8 pp | Not reported | Not reported | 2023 |
Table analysis
- The OECD average rises across each parent-education category: 25.8%, 44.4% and 69.7%.
- The complete 2023 differences range from 21.5 points in Denmark to 68.0 points in Poland.
- Denmark reports the highest low-parent tertiary attainment value at 48.5% among systems with a published estimate.
- The Slovak Republic reports the lowest low-parent tertiary attainment value at 2.8%.
- Korea reports the highest tertiary attainment among young adults with a tertiary-educated parent at 85.5%.
- Sweden records the lowest value for the high-parent group at 49.2%, while its high-low difference is also among the smallest.
- Czechia, Finland, Japan and Latvia have no published 2023 estimate for tertiary attainment in the lowest parent-education group.
- “Not reported” reproduces unavailable or suppressed source cells; it does not represent zero.
- The table should not be read as a league table because standard errors vary and some differences may not be statistically distinguishable.
OECD Trend by Parent-Education Group
Two PIAAC cycles are available for the intergenerational attainment measure. The source does not support an annual series.
OECD-average tertiary attainment, 2012 and 2023
Percent of 25–34-year-olds, grouped by parents’ highest educational attainment
All three OECD-average groups recorded higher tertiary attainment in 2023, while the distance between the highest and lowest parent groups remained wide.
Trend analysis
- The low-parent group increased from 22.7% to 25.8%, a 3.0-point change before rounding.
- The middle parent-education group increased from 38.7% to 44.4%, a 5.7-point change.
- The high-parent group increased from 64.8% to 69.7%, a 4.9-point change.
- The high-low difference moved from about 42.1 points in 2012 to 43.9 points in 2023.
- The two-cycle comparison does not establish a continuous year-by-year path.
Comparable System Changes, 2012–2023
Systems with reported low- and high-parent values in both PIAAC cycles.
| System | Low-parent 2012 | Low-parent 2023 | Low change | High-parent 2012 | High-parent 2023 | High change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 28.5% | 48.5% | +20.1 pp | 66.5% | 70.0% | +3.5 pp |
| England (UK) | 25.3% | 37.4% | +12.1 pp | 74.3% | 76.5% | +2.2 pp |
| Flemish Region (Belgium) | 23.2% | 35.0% | +11.9 pp | 71.3% | 75.9% | +4.6 pp |
| Chile | 17.3% | 24.6% | +7.3 pp | 71.7% | 68.0% | -3.8 pp |
| Austria | 8.4% | 15.7% | +7.3 pp | 36.2% | 63.3% | +27.1 pp |
| Ireland | 32.0% | 39.1% | +7.2 pp | 67.0% | 79.2% | +12.2 pp |
| Germany | 12.5% | 19.6% | +7.1 pp | 52.0% | 62.1% | +10.1 pp |
| Italy | 10.1% | 14.6% | +4.4 pp | 61.2% | 63.4% | +2.2 pp |
| United States | 18.7% | 22.3% | +3.6 pp | 62.2% | 68.0% | +5.8 pp |
| Netherlands | 28.8% | 31.9% | +3.1 pp | 60.3% | 72.5% | +12.2 pp |
| Spain | 27.4% | 30.0% | +2.7 pp | 68.1% | 75.0% | +6.9 pp |
| Canada | 37.2% | 38.1% | +0.9 pp | 69.7% | 74.0% | +4.4 pp |
| New Zealand | 39.1% | 38.8% | -0.3 pp | 69.5% | 77.2% | +7.7 pp |
| Slovak Republic | 3.2% | 2.8% | -0.4 pp | 62.3% | 65.3% | +2.9 pp |
| Hungary | 7.0% | 6.5% | -0.6 pp | 68.6% | 70.6% | +2.1 pp |
| France | 33.0% | 32.1% | -0.9 pp | 81.9% | 74.9% | -7.0 pp |
| Norway | 31.1% | 29.6% | -1.5 pp | 58.9% | 73.3% | +14.5 pp |
| Israel | 28.7% | 25.5% | -3.2 pp | 64.6% | 62.6% | -2.0 pp |
| Sweden | 26.3% | 22.9% | -3.5 pp | 52.1% | 49.2% | -2.9 pp |
| Estonia | 20.5% | 16.7% | -3.8 pp | 57.1% | 64.3% | +7.2 pp |
| Lithuania | 8.6% | 4.5% | -4.1 pp | 59.3% | 66.0% | +6.6 pp |
| Poland | 15.8% | 10.9% | -4.8 pp | 78.9% | 78.9% | +0.0 pp |
| Korea | 52.8% | 45.3% | -7.5 pp | 79.3% | 85.5% | +6.2 pp |
Table analysis
- Denmark records the largest low-parent increase at +20.1 percentage points.
- England and the Flemish Region follow with changes of +12.1 and +11.9 points.
- Austria records the largest high-parent increase at +27.1 points.
- Korea records a −7.5-point low-parent change alongside a +6.2-point high-parent change.
- Poland records declines in the low- and middle-parent groups while the high-parent value remains broadly unchanged.
- Changes may reflect sampling variation, cohort composition and national education patterns; they should not be assigned to a single policy without separate evidence.
Intergenerational Attainment Patterns
The indicator describes how completed education differs across parental education groups.
Educational advantage remains visible
The OECD-average probability of tertiary attainment is about 2.7 times as high in the tertiary-educated parent group as in the group where neither parent completed upper secondary education.
Sticky floors occur before university
Among young adults whose parents did not complete upper secondary education, 55.3% in the Slovak Republic, 47.8% in Spain and 47.7% in Hungary also remain below upper secondary attainment.
Upper-secondary families show upward mobility
Across the OECD, 44.4% of young adults in the middle parent-education group complete tertiary education, while 7.9% remain below upper secondary education.
Downward mobility needs national context
In Sweden, 49.2% of young adults with a tertiary-educated parent attain tertiary education. The remaining group completes upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education, or stays below upper secondary; the meaning of these pathways differs across systems.
Entry and attainment are different measures
The indicator records the highest qualification completed. Admission, enrolment and first-year participation are not counted as tertiary attainment unless a qualification is completed.
2026 supporting evidence
An OECD working paper published in March 2026 extends PIAAC analysis to skills, earnings, labour-market participation and fields of study. It is supporting context and does not replace Table A1.4.
2025 is the OECD report publication year. The current parental-education comparison uses the 2023 Survey of Adult Skills; the earlier comparison comes from the 2012–15 PIAAC cycle.
Source and Methodology
OECD 2025 education indicators report
Chapter A1: To what level have adults studied?
OECD Survey of Adult Skills, Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
Adults aged 25–34 and the highest reported educational attainment of their parents
Share with completed tertiary education, corresponding to ISCED 2011 levels 5–8
2023 and the earlier 2012–15 PIAAC cycle, presented as 2012 in Table A1.4
OECD countries, England, the Flemish Region and Croatia included in the official web table
Percentages are rounded to one decimal. Gap and change values use the unrounded percentages in the OECD workbook and are displayed in percentage points. OECD control code “m” and unavailable cells are shown as “Not reported.” Adults who received only the doorstep interview because of a language barrier are excluded because parental education was not collected for those respondents.
Parental education and tertiary attainment are associated measures. Table A1.4 does not isolate a causal effect of parents’ education, income, school quality, migration background or national policy. Some estimates use small samples and carry wide uncertainty, so close values should not be interpreted as exact system ranks.