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.

US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Lower Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data was reported at 95.478 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 95.430 % for 2014. US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Lower Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 94.823 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2015, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 95.478 % in 2015 and a record low of 93.014 % in 1980. US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Lower Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Female: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed lower secondary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

Context

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to countries of the world for capital projects. The World Bank's stated goal is the reduction of poverty. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank

Content

This dataset combines key education statistics from a variety of sources to provide a look at global literacy, spending, and access.

For more information, see the World Bank website.

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Acknowledgements

https://bigquery.cloud.google.com/dataset/bigquery-public-data:world_bank_health_population

http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/ed-stats

https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/public-data/world-bank-education

Citation: The World Bank: Education Statistics

Dataset Source: World Bank. This dataset is publicly available for anyone to use under the following terms provided by the Dataset Source - http://www.data.gov/privacy-policy#data_policy - and is provided "AS IS" without any warranty, express or implied, from Google. Google disclaims all liability for any damages, direct or indirect, resulting from the use of the dataset.

Banner Photo by @till_indeman from Unplash.

Inspiration

Of total government spending, what percentage is spent on education?

This statistic shows the results of a 2018 survey conducted by Ipsos in ** countries around the world on socialism. During the survey, the respondents were asked if they agree or disagree with the notion that education should be free of charge in their country. This statistic only shows those respondents who somewhat or strongly agreed with this statement. Some ** percent of respondents in Russia agreed somewhat or strongly with this statement.

BE: Educational Attainment, At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 75.126 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 74.248 % for 2021. BE: Educational Attainment, At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 64.280 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2022, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 75.126 % in 2022 and a record low of 14.020 % in 1970. BE: Educational Attainment, At Least Completed Upper Secondary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belgium – Table BE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;;

Poland PL: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 98.869 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 98.820 % for 2013. Poland PL: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 98.576 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2014, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.869 % in 2014 and a record low of 69.300 % in 1970. Poland PL: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Poland – Table PL.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed primary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

About the Digest of Education StatisticsThe 2022 edition of the Digest of Education Statistics is the 58th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977–78, 1983–84, and 1985–86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the Digest, material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to data on educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data. The Digest contains important information on federal education funding, though more detailed information on federal activities is available from federal education program offices.The Digest contains tables organized into seven chapters: All Levels of Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, Postsecondary Education, Federal Funds for Education and Related Activities, Outcomes of Education, International Comparisons of Education, and Libraries and Use of Technology. Each chapter is divided into a number of topical subsections.About this DatasetThis dataset represents the tables from the Most Current Digest Tables page: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/current_tables.asp, as downloaded 2025-07-13.The folder system has three levels. Level 1 is the chapters of the data digest. Level 2 is the subsections of the chapters. Level 3 is a folder each for each table. Each table folder contains an excel file for the table.The top level folder contains a catalog csv with a cross walk between the folder name and the original table titles.There is also a folder for Machine Readable tables downloaded from this page in the top level folder: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/mrt_tables.asp.

In 2022, Canada had the greatest number of international students compared to their entire higher education population, with nearly ** percent of students being international. Australia followed with a share of ** percent of the students being international, while the United Kingdom ranked third.

CL: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 21.545 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 20.283 % for 2022. CL: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 14.288 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2023, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.545 % in 2023 and a record low of 10.360 % in 2011. CL: Educational Attainment: At Least Bachelor's or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Chile – Table CL.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Bachelor's or equivalent.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;;

Iceland had the highest inequality-adjusted education index score worldwide, amounting to **** out of one on the index. Germany followed with an index score of ****. The inequality-adjusted education index is the education index in the Human Development Index adjusted for inequality.

The average for 2022 based on 126 countries was 94.03 percent. The highest value was in Finland: 144.85 percent and the lowest value was in Burkina Faso: 33.72 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Overall, enrollment ratios in upper secondary education increased in all world regions since 2000. The increase was particularly remarkable in East and South-East Asia, as well as Central and South Asia. The increase in these regions must be seen in relation with increasing education that usually comes with increasing levels of development. Enrollment rates above 100 percent in Europe and North America are due to differences in data collection and inflows and outflows of students.

The number of pupils in primary education worldwide increased over the past years. While around 655 million children were enrolled in primary school in 2000, the number reached nearly 770 million pupils in 2023. During the same time period, more and more pupils completed primary education, standing at nearly 90 percent in 2023. Secondary education Since the turn of the millennium, the number of students in secondary education also increased significantly. About 452 million children were enrolled in some kind of secondary education in 2000; a number which has grown to 641 million in 2023. At the same time, the completion rate of lower secondary education also increased, reaching over 74 percent. Increasing literacy rates Moreover, as more and more pupils enter and complete education, both youth and adult literacy rates increased worldwide, particularly among girls and women. Nevertheless, illiteracy remains a challenge in some world regions, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth. The World Bank compiles data on education inputs, participation, efficiency, and outcomes. Data on education are compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics from official responses to surveys and from reports provided by education authorities in each country.

United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 98.774 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 98.793 % for 2014. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 98.677 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.867 % in 2013 and a record low of 94.500 % in 1970. United States US: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed primary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

GE: Educational Attainment: Doctoral or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 0.621 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.235 % for 2012. GE: Educational Attainment: Doctoral or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 0.428 % from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2014, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.621 % in 2014 and a record low of 0.235 % in 2012. GE: Educational Attainment: Doctoral or Equivalent: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Georgia – Table GE.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed Doctoral or equivalent.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

Nearly 70 percent of the population in Czechia had upper secondary education as their highest education level in 2022, the highest of OECD member countries. Neighboring Slovakia had the second highest share at nearly two thirds of the population between 25 and 64 years. Meanwhile, the share was lowest in Costa Rica, where only 20 percent of the population had achieved an upper secondary education.

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.

Out of the OECD countries, Luxembourg was the country that spent the most on educational institutions per full-time student in 2020. On average, 23,000 U.S dollars were spent on primary education, nearly 27,000 U.S dollars on secondary education, and around 53,000 U.S dollars on tertiary education. The United States followed behind, with Norway in third. Meanwhile, the lowest spending was in Mexico.

During a global survey of students conducted in mid-2024, it was found that a whopping ** percent said they were using artificial intelligence tools in their schoolwork. Almost a ****** of them used it on a daily basis.