Tertiary Education Attainment by Country 2026: Statistics & Rankings
Country and economy rankings use the World Bank / UNESCO UIS indicator for the share of the population ages 25 and over that has completed at least short-cycle tertiary education. Values are latest available source-year figures, not 2026 estimates.
Tertiary Attainment Statistics
Snapshot values summarize the latest available WDI/UNESCO UIS short-cycle tertiary attainment series.
Highest Reported Tertiary Attainment Rates
The chart ranks the highest reported latest values in the WDI/UNESCO UIS short-cycle tertiary attainment indicator.
Top reported country and economy values
Percent of population ages 25+ with at least completed short-cycle tertiary education
Older source years remain in the ranking when they are the latest available value for that country or economy.
Chart analysis
- Kazakhstan has the highest reported value in the visible ranking at 73.91%, with a 2018 source year.
- The highest 2024 value in the chart is United Arab Emirates at 55.67%.
- Singapore, United States, Korea, Rep., and Australia all have 2024 source-year values in the top group.
- The chart mixes source years because tertiary attainment surveys and census-based reporting are not updated annually for every country.
Reported Country Ranking Table
Latest available reported values for the WDI/UNESCO UIS short-cycle tertiary attainment indicator.
| Rank | Country / economy | Code | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | KAZ | 73.91% | 2018 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 2 | Russian Federation | RUS | 64.09% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 3 | Uzbekistan | UZB | 61.51% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 4 | Belarus | BLR | 60.69% | 2019 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 5 | United Arab Emirates | ARE | 55.67% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 6 | Singapore | SGP | 53.19% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 7 | Ireland | IRL | 51.25% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 8 | United States | USA | 49.83% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 9 | Korea, Rep. | KOR | 49.56% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 10 | Canada | CAN | 49.30% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 11 | United Kingdom | GBR | 48.67% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 12 | Ukraine | UKR | 47.79% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 13 | Australia | AUS | 47.47% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 14 | Luxembourg | LUX | 46.41% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 15 | Sweden | SWE | 45.22% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 16 | Cyprus | CYP | 43.88% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 17 | Norway | NOR | 43.29% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 18 | Saudi Arabia | SAU | 43.02% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 19 | Switzerland | CHE | 41.61% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 20 | Bermuda | BMU | 40.81% | 2016 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 21 | Iceland | ISL | 40.10% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 22 | Estonia | EST | 39.88% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 23 | Bahrain | BHR | 39.83% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 24 | Netherlands | NLD | 38.88% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 25 | Finland | FIN | 38.86% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 26 | Seychelles | SYC | 38.76% | 2020 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 27 | Puerto Rico (US) | PRI | 38.58% | 2020 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 28 | Israel | ISR | 38.30% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 29 | Denmark | DNK | 38.27% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 30 | Belgium | BEL | 37.94% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 31 | Andorra | AND | 37.63% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 32 | France | FRA | 37.21% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 33 | Lebanon | LBN | 37.21% | 2018 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 34 | New Zealand | NZL | 36.64% | 2020 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 35 | Latvia | LVA | 36.36% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 36 | Spain | ESP | 35.41% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 37 | Slovenia | SVN | 34.66% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 38 | Japan | JPN | 34.40% | 2010 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 39 | Moldova | MDA | 34.32% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 40 | Georgia | GEO | 33.70% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 41 | Bolivia | BOL | 30.70% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 42 | Botswana | BWA | 29.60% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 43 | Bahamas, The | BHS | 27.90% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 44 | Azerbaijan | AZE | 27.70% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 45 | Colombia | COL | 27.20% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 46 | Croatia | HRV | 25.60% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 47 | Brunei Darussalam | BRN | 23.40% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 48 | Brazil | BRA | 22.70% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 49 | Chile | CHL | 22.30% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 50 | Antigua and Barbuda | ATG | 21.90% | 2018 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 51 | Austria | AUT | 21.30% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 52 | Costa Rica | CRI | 20.40% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 53 | Albania | ALB | 20.40% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 54 | Argentina | ARG | 19.60% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 55 | Belize | BLZ | 17.10% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 56 | Aruba | ABW | 16.40% | 2000 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 57 | China | CHN | 16.10% | 2020 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 58 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | BIH | 12.80% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 59 | Comoros | COM | 12.70% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 60 | Bhutan | BTN | 11.80% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 61 | Bangladesh | BGD | 8.10% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 62 | Cote d’Ivoire | CIV | 7.80% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 63 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | COD | 7.10% | 2020 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 64 | Cambodia | KHM | 6.40% | 2023 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 65 | Benin | BEN | 5.00% | 2022 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 66 | Angola | AGO | 4.20% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 67 | Afghanistan | AFG | 3.10% | 2021 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 68 | Burundi | BDI | 3.10% | 2020 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
| 69 | Burkina Faso | BFA | 3.00% | 2024 | WDI / UNESCO UIS |
Table analysis
- The ranking is led by Kazakhstan at 73.91%, followed by Russian Federation at 64.09%.
- The highest latest-year 2024 entries include United Arab Emirates, Singapore, United States, Korea, Rep., Australia, and Saudi Arabia.
- Several high reported values have older source years, including Kazakhstan in 2018 and Belarus in 2019.
- The table uses the cumulative short-cycle tertiary threshold, so it is broader than bachelor’s-only attainment.
- Country-level comparability depends on national census, labor-force survey, and education-classification reporting cycles.
Trend Since 2015 for Selected Reported Series
Selected countries with visible WDI historical points show how the indicator can move over time when regular data are available.
Selected country trend points
Percent of population ages 25+ with at least completed short-cycle tertiary education
The final point is the latest reported value for each selected country, which may be 2023 or 2024.
Trend analysis
- Australia rose from 40.5% in 2015 to 47.47% in 2024.
- Brazil rose from 13.6% in 2015 to 22.7% in 2024.
- Colombia rose from 19.5% in 2015 to 27.2% in 2024.
- Belgium rose from 32.1% in 2015 to 37.94% in 2023.
- Chile moved from 19.8% in 2015 to 22.3% in 2024, with a lower reported value in 2020.
| Country | 2015 | 2020 | Latest | Latest year | Change since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 40.5% | 46.5% | 47.47% | 2024 | +6.97 pp |
| Belgium | 32.1% | 36.2% | 37.94% | 2023 | +5.84 pp |
| Brazil | 13.6% | 21.4% | 22.7% | 2024 | +9.10 pp |
| Chile | 19.8% | 19.2% | 22.3% | 2024 | +2.50 pp |
| Colombia | 19.5% | 22.5% | 27.2% | 2024 | +7.70 pp |
Interpretation Notes
Short-cycle tertiary attainment measures completed education among adults, not current tertiary enrollment.
Attainment vs enrollment
Attainment is a stock measure of completed education among adults ages 25 and over. It does not measure how many students are currently enrolled in universities or colleges.
Short-cycle tertiary threshold
The WDI indicator includes at least completed short-cycle tertiary education. Bachelor’s-only or master’s-only rankings use narrower indicators and produce different country positions.
Source-year variation
Latest values range from 2000 to 2024 in the visible ranking because attainment data often come from census or survey cycles, not annual administrative returns.
Ranking scope
The ranking is specific to countries and economies with reported WDI/UNESCO UIS values for the selected indicator. It is not a general education quality ranking.
Source and Methodology
Values are ranked by the latest available reported WDI/UNESCO UIS value. Percentages are rounded to two decimals where the source export provides more precision. Percentage-point changes in the trend table are page-level calculations from the displayed values. Missing country values are not imputed.
This ranking uses one attainment indicator: at least completed short-cycle tertiary education among adults ages 25 and over. It should not be read as a university quality ranking, a current enrollment ranking, or a bachelor’s-degree-only ranking. Source-year differences affect comparability, especially where the latest value comes from an older census or survey cycle.