In 2022, Canada had the highest share of adults with a university degree, at over 60 percent of those between the ages of 25 and 64. India had the smallest share of people with a university degree, at 13 percent of the adult population. University around the world Deciding which university to attend can be a difficult decision for some and in today’s world, people are not left wanting for choice. There are thousands of universities around the world, with the highest number found in India and Indonesia. When picking which school to attend, some look to university rankings, where Harvard University in the United States consistently comes in on top. Moving on up One of the major perks of attending university is that it enables people to move up in the world. Getting a good education is generally seen as a giant step along the path to success and opens up doors for future employment. Future earnings potential can be determined by which university one attends, whether by the prestige of the university or the connections that have been made there. For instance, graduates from the Stanford Graduate School of Business can expect to earn around 250,000 U.S. dollars annually.

In the 2022/23 academic year, 30 percent of undergraduates obtaining their degree were awarded a degree with first-class honors, the highest possible grade for UK graduates. Almost half of all students achieved an upper second or 2.1, with 20 percent obtaining a lower second or 2.2, and just four percent of graduates obtained a third, the lowest possible pass grade. The share of UK students graduating with a first-class degree has increased significantly in this time period, while the share of students obtaining a 2.2 has fallen the most in the same time period. GCSE and A-Level grades also on the rise Higher grades for the UK's main qualification for high school students, the general certificate of secondary education (GCSE), have also increased recently. In 1988 for example, approximately 8.4 percent of GCSE entries received the highest grade, compared with 21.8 percent in 2024. This is also the case to a lesser-extent for advanced level GCSE results (A-Levels), with the share of entries being awarded an A or A* increasing from 17.8 percent in 2000 to 27.8 percent in 2024. There is no consensus on if these improvements are due to increased ability, or to grade inflation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, grades in the UK were a lot higher than in other years. This was due to teacher and tutor assessments being giving a higher weighting than normal, with exams being postponed or cancelled completely. The UK's top universities Britain's oldest and most famous universities, Cambridge and Oxford, remained the two highest-ranked universities in the UK in 2025, with the London School of Economics finishing third. According to the ranking, the University of St Andrews was the top university outside the south of England, with Durham University being the highest-ranked university in the north of England. The largest university in terms of enrolled students was the mainly remote focused Open University, which had over 140,000 students in 2022/23. Among universities that mainly taught on-campus, University College London had the most students enrolled, at almost 52,000.

United Kingdom UK: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data was reported at 28.830 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 28.166 % for 2013. United Kingdom UK: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 28.498 % from Dec 2013 (Median) to 2014, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.830 % in 2014 and a record low of 28.166 % in 2013. United Kingdom UK: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Male: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Bachelor's or equivalent.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

******* was the European country with the highest share of graduates in 2024, with almost **** of those aged between 15 and 64 having a degree. On the contrary, only ** percent of the population aged 15 to 64 in ********************** hold a tertiary education title.

Students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest entry rate into higher education in every year from 2006 to 2024.

In 2023/24 the share of female students achieving a first class degree in the United Kingdom was 30 percent, compared with 27 percent of male students.

Last update: April 2013 Was added to StatsWales: April 2013 Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Contact: post16ed.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk The information in this table is taken from Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK available on the HESA web-site at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi. A Guide to Performance Indicators in Higher Education is also available at this web-site. The indicators are designed to provide reliable information on the nature and performance of the higher education sector in the UK. The performance indicators broadly cover access to higher education, non-continuation rates and outcomes. Indicators relate to higher education institutions in the individual countries of the UK. The Performance Indicators Steering Group (PISG) has led the development of these indicators. Members are drawn from the four higher education funding bodies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DEL); the Department for Education and Skills and other government departments, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, and universities and colleges through their representative bodies (Universities UK and SCOP) Since 2002/03 HESA has published the Performance Indicators on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) who published them previously. A number of changes were introduced for the 2002/03 publication; further details can be found at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi . The access indicators relate to students starting in 2004/05; the indicators of non-continuation (students who do not continue after their first year) and of non-completion (students who drop out and do not resume later or transfer elsewhere) relate to the cohort starting in 2003/04. The disability indicator covers all students, not just entrants, on undergraduate programmes in 2004/05. WIDENING ACCESS: PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG FIRST DEGREE ENTRANTS FROM STATE SCHOOLS OR COLLEGES. School type is taken from previous institution attended. All schools or colleges that are not denoted ‘independent’ are assumed to be state schools. This means that students from sixth-form or further education colleges, for example, are included as being from state schools.

In 2024, 44 percent of people in the European Union aged between 25 and 34 had a degree. For the population aged between 20 and 24 as a whole, the figure was 19.4 percent.

In 2023/24 the share of students in Scotland achieving a first class degree was 32 percent, compared with 29 percent in England, 28 percent in Wales, and also 28 percent in Northern Ireland.

In the 10 years to July 2024, the percentage of further education students who were from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other ethnic backgrounds went up from 19.7% to 27.9%.

Among the OECD countries, Canada had the highest proportion of adults with a tertiary education in 2022. About 63 percent of Canadians had achieved a tertiary education in that year. Japan followed with about 56 percent of the population having completed a tertiary education, while in Ireland the share was roughly 54 percent. In India, on the other hand, less than 13 percent of the adult population had completed a tertiary education in 2022.

Ireland and Luxembourg were the European countries with the highest share of graduates aged 30 to 34 in 2024, with two thirds of people in this age group having a degree. Countries such as Italy, Bosnia, and Romania had the lowest share of graduates in this age group at 30.7, 28.2, and 23.6 percent respectively.

Over the five years through 2024-25, revenue is expected to increase at a compound annual rate of 2.1% to £4.1 billion. The numerous benefits of online education and training (e.g. reduced learning and development costs, time savings and flexibility and promotion of continuous development) have spurred growth. Recognising its advantages, the government has implemented a series of measures to hasten the uptake of educational technology by investing in improving household internet connections across the UK. The rise in student numbers has supported demand for additional training courses for those looking to boost their grades. The COVID-19 pandemic hiked revenue during 2020-21, with the forced closure of schools and universities pushing many courses online. Many universities are now committed to ensuring lectures and course material are uploaded online, a legacy of the COVID-19 technological wave. However, revenue is only anticipated to grow by 0.5% over 2024-25, with growth naturally slowing following the surge in demand during the pandemic and encouragement from many critics to return to face-to-face learning to improve the learning experience and re-connect classmates. Over the five years through 2029-30, revenue is forecast to climb at a compound annual rate of 2.5% to £4.7 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic has hastened the adoption of online education and training, as lockdown periods normalised the use of technology and individuals have become accustomed to a new learning method. Unemployment rates are low, but a high number of vacancies remain, despite falling from COVID-19 highs, that aren't being met with the right skills, which is encouraging online learning and training. The number of UK 16- to 18-year-olds participating in full-time education is high, with record university applications that will boost online learning too. The growing skills gap will sustain demand as online platforms look to adapt to the changing job market and provide employees with the skills needed to secure work. The rise of free educational content through social media platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn will constrain future growth. The average profit margin is expected to expand to 18.4% in 2029-30.

There is a high average economic benefit from staying on in education and particularly going to university. Yet a high proportion of people leave full-time education at a young age. One reason for this may be a lack of adequate information about the consequences of educational decisions at an appropriate time.

The objective of this research was to test whether provision of information on the economic costs and benefits of educational decisions affects the knowledge, expectations and choices of students when they are at school. This was tested by an 'information campaign' that was implemented in a random sample of schools in London. All Year 10 students in 54 participating schools were surveyed on two occasions (8-12 weeks apart). In half of these schools, an 'information campaign' was delivered between the two surveys.

The main findings of the research include the conclusion that the 'information campaign' significantly improved knowledge in treatment schools relative to the comparison group. To some extent this led to an improved perception of the benefits and affordability of staying on in education. However, it did not affect subject choice at A-level or intentions to go to university. Over the period of the study, the government announced a three-fold increase to university tuition fees. The project analysis suggested a reaction to this, depending on when the surveys took place in relation to media reports. This research demonstrates both the usefulness and limitations of 'information campaigns' and the influence of the media.

Further information may be found on the ESRC Information and Educational Decisions award webpage and the project's Whats4me website.

Education and Training covers classroom-based further education learning that takes place at a further education college or provider. The data shows success rates, retention rates and achievement rates by level of provision, subject area and learner characteristics. Aim-level participation by subject area, and participation & achievement by mode of attendance are also shown.

Mode of attendance refers to full-time or part-time attendance.

A level students in the Chinese ethnic group had an average point score of 39.83 in the 2022 to 2023 academic year – the highest score out of all ethnic groups.