Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64

Canada had the highest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64 of 37 countries in 2014, at 53.4%. Mexico had the lowest, at 16%. The median was 35.6%. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Highest53.4Canada
Lowest16Mexico
Median35.637 countries

Map of countries, 2014

Austria: 29.9 %Australia: 41.9 %Belgium: 36.9 %Canada: 53.4 %Switzerland: 38.4 %Colombia: 21.3 %Costa Rica: 23.5 %Czechia: 21.5 %Germany: 27.1 %Denmark: 35.8 %Estonia: 37.5 %Spain: 34.7 %Finland: 41.8 %France: 33.5 %United Kingdom: 42.2 %Greece: 28.1 %Hungary: 23.4 %Ireland: 41 %Israel: 48.5 %Iceland: 35.6 %Italy: 16.9 %Japan: 48.2 %South Korea: 44.5 %Lithuania: 36.7 %Luxembourg: 45.9 %Latvia: 30.2 %Mexico: 16 %Netherlands: 35.3 %Norway: 41.8 %New Zealand: 35.6 %Poland: 27 %Portugal: 21.7 %Sweden: 38.7 %Slovenia: 28.6 %Slovakia: 20.4 %Türkiye: 16.7 %United States: 44.2 %
  • Under 22
  • 22 to 29
  • 29 to 36
  • 36 to 38
  • 38 to 42
  • 42 and over
  • No data
%, 2014. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: OECD, OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All countries, 2014

Canada: 53.4 %Canada53.4Israel: 48.5 %Israel48.5Japan: 48.2 %Japan48.2Luxembourg: 45.9 %Luxembourg45.9South Korea: 44.5 %South Korea44.5United States: 44.2 %United States44.2United Kingdom: 42.2 %United Kingdom42.2Australia: 41.9 %Australia41.9Finland: 41.8 %Finland41.8Norway: 41.8 %Norway41.8Ireland: 41 %Ireland41Sweden: 38.7 %Sweden38.7Switzerland: 38.4 %Switzerland38.4Estonia: 37.5 %Estonia37.5Belgium: 36.9 %Belgium36.9Lithuania: 36.7 %Lithuania36.7Denmark: 35.8 %Denmark35.8New Zealand: 35.6 %New Zealand35.6Iceland: 35.6 %Iceland35.6Netherlands: 35.3 %Netherlands35.3Spain: 34.7 %Spain34.7France: 33.5 %France33.5Latvia: 30.2 %Latvia30.2Austria: 29.9 %Austria29.9Slovenia: 28.6 %Slovenia28.6Greece: 28.1 %Greece28.1Germany: 27.1 %Germany27.1Poland: 27 %Poland27Costa Rica: 23.5 %Costa Rica23.5Hungary: 23.4 %Hungary23.4Portugal: 21.7 %Portugal21.7Czechia: 21.5 %Czechia21.5Colombia: 21.3 %Colombia21.3Slovakia: 20.4 %Slovakia20.4Italy: 16.9 %Italy16.9Türkiye: 16.7 %Türkiye16.7Mexico: 16 %Mexico16Canada: 53.4 %Canada53.4Israel: 48.5 %Israel48.5Japan: 48.2 %Japan48.2Luxembourg: 45.9 %Luxembourg45.9South Korea: 44.5 %South Korea44.5United States: 44.2 %United States44.2United Kingdom: 42.2 %United Kingdom42.2Australia: 41.9 %Australia41.9Finland: 41.8 %Finland41.8Norway: 41.8 %Norway41.8Ireland: 41 %Ireland41Sweden: 38.7 %Sweden38.7Switzerland: 38.4 %Switzerland38.4Estonia: 37.5 %Estonia37.5Belgium: 36.9 %Belgium36.9Lithuania: 36.7 %Lithuania36.7Denmark: 35.8 %Denmark35.8New Zealand: 35.6 %New Zealand35.6Iceland: 35.6 %Iceland35.6Netherlands: 35.3 %Netherlands35.3Spain: 34.7 %Spain34.7France: 33.5 %France33.5Latvia: 30.2 %Latvia30.2Austria: 29.9 %Austria29.9Slovenia: 28.6 %Slovenia28.6Greece: 28.1 %Greece28.1Germany: 27.1 %Germany27.1Poland: 27 %Poland27Costa Rica: 23.5 %Costa Rica23.5Hungary: 23.4 %Hungary23.4Portugal: 21.7 %Portugal21.7Czechia: 21.5 %Czechia21.5Colombia: 21.3 %Colombia21.3Slovakia: 20.4 %Slovakia20.4Italy: 16.9 %Italy16.9Türkiye: 16.7 %Türkiye16.7Mexico: 16 %Mexico16
%. Source: OECD, OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCountries2014 (%)Change on 2013
1Canada53.4+0.6 pts
2Israel48.5+1.1 pts
3Japan48.2+0.9 pts
4Luxembourg45.9+5.3 pts
5South Korea44.5+1.4 pts
6United States44.2+0.3 pts
7United Kingdom42.2+0.3 pts
8Australia41.9+2.4 pts
9Finland41.8+1.2 pts
10Norway41.8+2 pts
11Ireland41-0.5 pts
12Sweden38.7+1.7 pts
13Switzerland38.4+1 pts
14Estonia37.5+0.2 pts
15Belgium36.9+1.3 pts
16Lithuania36.7+1.5 pts
17Denmark35.8+0.6 pts
18New Zealand35.6n/a
19Iceland35.6+1.3 pts
20Netherlands35.3+0.8 pts
21Spain34.7+0.9 pts
22France33.5+1.4 pts
23Latvia30.2-0.8 pts
24Austria29.9+0.2 pts
25Slovenia28.6+0.7 pts
26Greece28.1+0.7 pts
27Germany27.1-1.4 pts
28Poland27+1.2 pts
29Costa Rica23.5+0.3 pts
30Hungary23.4+0.9 pts
31Portugal21.7+2.4 pts
32Czechia21.5+1.1 pts
33Colombia21.3+1.1 pts
34Slovakia20.4+0.5 pts
35Italy16.9+0.6 pts
36Türkiye16.7+0.8 pts
37Mexico16-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 to 64 whose highest completed level of education is tertiary (ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8: short-cycle tertiary, bachelor's or equivalent, master's or equivalent, and doctoral), as a percentage of all people aged 25 to 64. Measured by national labour force surveys.

Includes short-cycle tertiary programmes such as US associate degrees, so it is higher than the US bachelors_degree_share, which also covers everyone aged 25 and over.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 6 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2014 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

OECD. OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2026). OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA) (Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP

MLA 9

OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA), Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 12 Oct. 2026, https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/countries?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2026. OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA). Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/countries?period=2014.

Harvard

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2026) OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA), Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/countries?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{organisation_countries_by_tertiary_education_2014,
  author = {{Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development}},
  title = {{OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD\_EAG\_LSO\_EA@DF\_LSO\_NEAC\_DISTR\_EA): Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/countries?period=2014. Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD\_EAG\_LSO\_EA@DF\_LSO\_NEAC\_DISTR\_EA). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ\&df[id]=DSD\_EAG\_LSO\_EA\%40DF\_LSO\_NEAC\_DISTR\_EA\&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
TI  - OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA): Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
PB  - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/countries?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/countries?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_EAG_LSO_EA%40DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA&df[ag]=OECD.EDU.IMEP. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.
ER  - 
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Rank Countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64 using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which country has the highest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64?

Canada, with 53.4% in 2014, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Which country has the lowest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64?

Mexico, with 16% in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD Education at a Glance: share of 25 to 64 year-olds with tertiary education, ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 (DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 6 countries have no value for 2014 and are not ranked.

Tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64: other rankings

Countries: more rankings