STEM Graduates by Country 2026: Data, Rankings & Charts
Country ranking for the share of tertiary graduates receiving degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The 2026 page year is separate from the source years, which range from 2020 to 2024 in the values shown.
STEM Graduate Statistics
Snapshot values use reported country observations from UNESCO UIS-based public releases and official regional reporting.
STEM Graduate Share Ranking
Chart values are visible in the data table and use the latest accessible reported observation for each listed country.
Reported STEM graduates as a share of tertiary graduates
Selected source-reported countries, latest accessible source year
The chart combines accessible reported values from UNESCO UIS-based public releases. Source year differences are shown in the table.
Chart analysis
- Burkina Faso has the highest reported value in the accessible set at 61.4%, from 2024 OIC reporting.
- Malaysia leads the fDi population-filtered global summary at 40.2% in 2022.
- The reported values for Turkmenistan, Oman, Iran, Brunei Darussalam and Tunisia all sit between 37.9% and 39.6%.
- The United States and Brazil are below 20% in the Statista/UNESCO 2022 chart values.
Country STEM Graduates Table
Ranking is based on the reported STEM share value shown in the table. Different source years are kept visible for comparability.
| Rank | Country | Code | STEM share | Year | Region | Source basis | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burkina Faso | BFA | 61.4% | 2024 | Sub-Saharan Africa | SESRIC / OIC education report | OIC country series; not the fDi population-filtered top-20 series |
| 2 | Malaysia | MYS | 40.2% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific | fDi analysis of UNESCO survey data | Highest value in fDi population-filtered analysis |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | TKM | 39.6% | 2022 | Central Asia | fDi analysis of UNESCO survey data | Second in fDi source summary |
| 4 | Oman | OMN | 39.5% | 2021 | Middle East & North Africa | fDi analysis of UNESCO survey data | Next available year used in the fDi top-20 article |
| 5 | Iran | IRN | 39.0% | 2020 | Middle East & North Africa | fDi analysis of UNESCO survey data | Next available year used in source summary |
| 6 | Brunei Darussalam | BRN | 38.4% | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific | fDi analysis of UNESCO survey data | Next available year used in source summary |
| 7 | Tunisia | TUN | 37.9% | 2022 | North Africa | fDi / Statista using UNESCO data | Highest-ranked African country in fDi source summary |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | ARE | 36.2% | 2022 | Middle East & North Africa | Statista / UNESCO chart | Also reported at 36.5% in 2024 OIC summary |
| 9 | Germany | DEU | 35.8% | 2022 | Europe | Statista / UNESCO chart | Highest value among the listed Western European countries |
| 10 | Trinidad and Tobago | TTO | 35.4% | 2022 | Caribbean | fDi analysis of UNESCO survey data | Only Americas country highlighted in the fDi top-20 article |
| 11 | Belarus | BLR | 34.6% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia | Statista / UNESCO chart | Shown above one-third in the 2022 chart |
| 12 | Mauritania | MRT | 34.6% | 2020 | Sub-Saharan Africa | fDi analysis of UNESCO survey data | Reported as the next African country after Tunisia in the fDi article |
| 13 | India | IND | 34.0% | 2022 | South Asia | Statista / UNESCO chart | High share and large graduate base; ranking here uses share, not headcount |
| 14 | South Korea | KOR | 30.2% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific | Statista / UNESCO chart | Listed above 30% in the 2022 source chart |
| 15 | France | FRA | 25.0% | 2022 | Europe | WEF / Statista text using UNESCO data | Rounded value reported in source text |
| 16 | Spain | ESP | 23.0% | 2022 | Europe | WEF / Statista text using UNESCO data | Rounded value reported in source text |
| 17 | United Kingdom | GBR | 22.8% | 2022 | Europe | Statista / UNESCO chart | Source chart value; text summaries may round differently |
| 18 | United States | USA | 19.6% | 2022 | North America | Statista / UNESCO chart | Share indicator, not total STEM graduate count |
| 19 | Brazil | BRA | 17.5% | 2022 | Latin America | Statista / UNESCO chart | Lowest reported value in the displayed source chart |
Table analysis
- The ranking is led by Burkina Faso in the OIC 2024 extract and Malaysia in the fDi population-filtered global extract.
- Seven listed countries report STEM shares above 37%.
- India has a 34.0% STEM share in the Statista/UNESCO chart; the table does not rank countries by total graduate count.
- The table contains mixed source years from 2020 to 2024, so the Year column should be used when comparing country values.
- China is not ranked because the UNESCO-based summaries cited here note missing or non-comparable UNESCO data for China.
STEM Graduate Trend Since 2018
Trend rows use countries where both 2018 and 2022 values are available in public UNESCO-based summaries.
2018 vs 2022 STEM graduate share
Selected countries with comparable values in public source summaries
The comparison uses selected source values only; it is not a complete annual time series.
Trend analysis
- India increased from 31.7% in 2018 to 34.0% in 2022, a rise of 2.3 percentage points.
- Germany remained broadly stable, moving from 35.6% to 35.8%.
- Tunisia declined from 43.3% in 2018 to 37.9% in 2022 within the displayed source summaries.
- Brazil changed from 17.9% to 17.5%, a 0.4 percentage-point decrease.
| Country | 2018 | 2022 | Change | Direction | Source basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 43.3% | 37.9% | -5.4 pp | Declined | Statista/WEF public summaries using UNESCO data |
| Germany | 35.6% | 35.8% | +0.2 pp | Broadly stable | Statista/WEF public summaries using UNESCO data |
| India | 31.7% | 34.0% | +2.3 pp | Increased | Statista/WEF public summaries using UNESCO data |
| United Kingdom | 26.3% | 22.8% | -3.5 pp | Declined | Statista/WEF public summaries using UNESCO data |
| United States | 17.9% | 19.6% | +1.7 pp | Increased | Statista/WEF public summaries using UNESCO data |
| Brazil | 17.9% | 17.5% | -0.4 pp | Broadly stable | Statista/WEF public summaries using UNESCO data |
Table analysis
- The largest displayed increase is India, at +2.3 percentage points from 2018 to 2022.
- The largest displayed decline is Tunisia, at -5.4 percentage points.
- Germany and Brazil show small movement across the two source points.
Interpretation Notes
The indicator measures degree field mix, not graduate quality, employment outcomes or research output.
Share, Not Volume
A high percentage can come from a smaller tertiary system. India’s 34.0% share does not mean the same total graduate count as a smaller country with a similar share.
Field Classification
STEM includes science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Country reporting depends on ISCED-based field classifications and national survey returns.
Source-Year Spread
Some countries use 2022 values, while Oman, Iran, Brunei Darussalam and Mauritania use earlier available years in the cited source summaries.
Missing China Value
UNESCO-based public summaries note that China is not included in the comparable UNESCO series used for the selected ranking values.
Source and Methodology
The table ranks reported STEM graduate shares from accessible UNESCO UIS-based public summaries. Where the cited summary used the next available year because 2022 was missing, the table keeps that earlier year visible. No value is assigned to countries without a reported comparable value in the cited source extracts.
The ranking is a field-of-study share ranking, not a measure of education quality, labour-market fit or innovation output. Values from different source years should be compared with caution, and missing countries are not treated as zero.