In an impressive increase from years past, 39 percent of women in the United States had completed four years or more of college in 2022. This figure is up from 3.8 percent of women in 1940. A significant increase can also be seen in males, with 36.2 percent of the U.S. male population having completed four years or more of college in 2022, up from 5.5 percent in 1940.

4- and 2-year colleges

In the United States, college students are able to choose between attending a 2-year postsecondary program and a 4-year postsecondary program. Generally, attending a 2-year program results in an Associate’s Degree, and 4-year programs result in a Bachelor’s Degree.

Many 2-year programs are designed so that attendees can transfer to a college or university offering a 4-year program upon completing their Associate’s. Completion of a 4-year program is the generally accepted standard for entry-level positions when looking for a job.

Earnings after college

Factors such as gender, degree achieved, and the level of postsecondary education can have an impact on employment and earnings later in life. Some Bachelor’s degrees continue to attract more male students than female, particularly in STEM fields, while liberal arts degrees such as education, languages and literatures, and communication tend to see higher female attendance.

All of these factors have an impact on earnings after college, and despite nearly the same rate of attendance within the American population between males and females, men with a Bachelor’s Degree continue to have higher weekly earnings on average than their female counterparts.

In Autumn 2024, among the students enrolled in the highest ranked university in the world, Oxford in the United Kingdom, 51 percent were female. See here for an overview of the highest-ranked universities in the world.

The proportion of male and female postsecondary graduates, by Classification of Instructional Programs, Primary groupings (CIP_PG), International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) and age group.

Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index (GPI) in Vietnam was reported at 0.84408 GPI in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, 88 percent of females worldwide had primary education, compared to 91 percent of males. By comparison, more females than males had attained tertiary education. The Global Gender Index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education, and health-based criteria. In 2020, the leading country was Iceland with a score of 0.87.

The average for 2022 based on 117 countries was 1.21 percent. The highest value was in Qatar: 1.79 percent and the lowest value was in Benin: 0.59 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Bachelor's Degree, 20 to 24 years, Women (CGBD2024W) from Jan 2000 to Aug 2025 about 20 to 24 years, tertiary schooling, females, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Statistical data on the education and training of women throughout their lives, namely: Gross enrolment rate in education by gender, educational levels, Gender parity index, by educational level Gross intake rate, graduation rate and transition rate by sex The rate of early leave of the 18-24-year-old population education system by sex, Degree of literacy of the population aged 15-24, by sex — The share of women in the number of teaching staff, by educational level, etc.

Over the period from 2008 to 2023, the share of the population holding a degree from university or other higher education institution gradually increased for both genders in Turkey. The share of men having a higher education degree was relatively higher than women each year during this period. In 2023, 22.5 percent of the men held a university or other higher education degree, compared to 19.6 percent of women in Turkey.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Bachelor's Degree and Higher, 25 Yrs. & over, Women (LNU04027682) from Jan 1992 to Aug 2025 about 25 years +, tertiary schooling, females, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index (GPI) in Georgia was reported at 1.3944 GPI in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Georgia - Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index (GPI) in Colombia was reported at 1.4879 GPI in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Colombia - Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index (GPI) in Finland was reported at 1.567 GPI in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Finland - Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In the academic year of 2020/21, about 860,760 male and 1.2 million female students earned a Bachelor's degree in the United States. By the academic year of 2031/32, the number of male Bachelor's degree recipients is expected to reach 975,020.

Bachelor’s degrees in the United States

American students typically earn a Bachelor’s degree for an undergraduate course of study and it is normally completed in four years. Depending on the major, students receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or another type of certificate.

In 2021, about 1.17 million white students earned a Bachelor's degree, followed by 324,848 Hispanic students.

Bachelor's degrees and earnings

When looking at the mean income of Bachelor’s degree holders in 2021, there are marked differences between the female and male Bachelor’s degree holders. Men with a Bachelor’s degree earned about 107,315 U.S. dollars per year, compared to women, who earned 77,099 U.S. dollars per year. In addition, salaries tended to increase the more educated a person was.

This dataset contains the State, Year, Level and Gender-wise Performance Indicators in School Education. This dataset includes major indicators like Drop out Rate, Repetition Rate, Promotion Rate, Retention Rate and Transition Rate.

Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index (GPI) in China was reported at 1.3761 GPI in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Data on occupation unit group (5-digit code) from the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 version 1.0 by highest level of education, major field of study, age and gender.

Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index (GPI) in Mongolia was reported at 1.4856 GPI in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Mongolia - Gross graduation ratio from first degree programmes (ISCED 6 and 7) in tertiary education, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Series Name: Gender parity index of trained teachers by education level (ratio)Series Code: SE_GPI_TRATEARelease Version: 2020.Q2.G.03 This dataset is the part of the Global SDG Indicator Database compiled through the UN System in preparation for the Secretary-General's annual report on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.Indicator 4.5.1: Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregatedTarget 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situationsGoal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allFor more information on the compilation methodology of this dataset, see https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/

JO: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 1.072 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.088 Ratio for 2015. JO: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 1.063 Ratio from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2016, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.274 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 0.500 Ratio in 1971. JO: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Jordan – Table JO.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education is the ratio of women to men enrolled at tertiary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).