In 2018, the national average for spending on elementary and secondary education was 3.1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Vermont spent the most out of any state on elementary and secondary education, at 5.38 percent of its GDP.

In 2021, about 37.7 percent of the U.S. population who were aged 25 and above had graduated from college or another higher education institution, a slight decline from 37.9 the previous year. However, this is a significant increase from 1960, when only 7.7 percent of the U.S. population had graduated from college.

Demographics

Educational attainment varies by gender, location, race, and age throughout the United States. Asian-American and Pacific Islanders had the highest level of education, on average, while Massachusetts and the District of Colombia are areas home to the highest rates of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, education levels are correlated with wealth. While public education is free up until the 12th grade, the cost of university is out of reach for many Americans, making social mobility increasingly difficult.

Earnings

White Americans with a professional degree earned the most money on average, compared to other educational levels and races. However, regardless of educational attainment, males typically earned far more on average compared to females. Despite the decreasing wage gap over the years in the country, it remains an issue to this day. Not only is there a large wage gap between males and females, but there is also a large income gap linked to race as well.

This graph shows the educational attainment of the U.S. population from in 2018, according to ethnicity. Around 56.5 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. have graduated from college or obtained a higher educational degree in 2018.

For the academic year of 2024/2025, the University of Oxford was ranked as the best university in the world, with an overall score of 98.5 according the Times Higher Education. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University followed behind. A high number of the leading universities in the world are located in the United States, with the ETH Zürich in Switzerland the highest ranked neither in the United Kingdom nor the U.S.

Finland had the highest quality of primary education in the world in 2017, with an index score of 6.7. The index runs on scale of one (low quality) to seven (very good). Switzerland, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Estonia rounded out the top five for countries with the highest quality of primary education.

A solid foundation

Primary school age children are generally between the ages of six and eleven years old. Primary school is the first stage of formal education and consists of general knowledge and fundamental skills in areas like mathematics, reading, writing, and science, with student enrollment rates being particularly high in advanced economies. This helps young students to form a solid base for further study as they get older.

Primary education in the United States

Primary schools in the United States, where they are called elementary schools, can be either private or public institutions with enrollment in public schools generally higher than in private schools. Education from the age of five is mandatory in the U.S., whether that be through the state-funded public school system, private schooling, or through an approved home school program. Depending on state law, students can leave school between the ages of 16 and 18 years.

This statistic shows the share of private four-year colleges and universities ranking an event type for marketing and recruitment as effective in the United States in 2018. In 2018, 99 percent of private four-year colleges and universities ranked campus open-house events as effective for recruitment and marketing.

This statistic shows the share of public four-year colleges and universities ranking an advertising channel for marketing and recruitment as effective in the United States in 2018. In 2018, 89 percent of public four-year colleges and universities ranked online display advertising as effective for recruitment and marketing.

This statistic shows the share of public four-year colleges and universities ranking a communication method for marketing and recruitment as either “somewhat effective” or “very effective" in the United States in 2018. In 2018, 95 percent of public four-year colleges and universities ranked mobile-responsive websites as either a “somewhat effective” or “very effective" method of communication for recruitment and marketing.

This statistic shows the share of private four-year colleges and universities ranking a communication method for marketing and recruitment as effective in the United States in 2018. In 2018, 97 percent of private four-year colleges and universities ranked website optimization for mobile browsers as an effective method of communication for recruitment and marketing.

Harvard University was the top-ranked university in the world in 2024 with a score of 100 according to the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy group. Out of the top 30 ranked universities, the United States had 19 different universities on the list. An American legacy Harvard University is by far the most prestigious university in the United States. Founded in 1636, it is the country’s oldest institution of higher learning. Harvard is a member of the Ivy League, which is a group of eight private colleges in the Northeastern United States. Ivy League colleges are known in the U.S. for being highly selective while providing top education. The top of the top Out of thousands of higher education institutions in the United States, Harvard is even more exceptional for producing both the most presidents and the most billionaires. Attending college is typically seen as giving attendees a leg up in society, although the high cost of attendance can sometimes negate this effect.

In the academic year 2023/24, there were 331,602 international students from India studying in the United States. International students The majority of international students studying in the United States are originally from India and China, totaling 331,602 students and 277,398 students respectively in the 2023/24 school year. In 2022/23, there were 467,027 international graduate students , which accounted for over one third of the international students in the country. Typically, engineering and math & computer science programs were among the most common fields of study for these students. The United States is home to many world-renowned schools, most notably, the Ivy League Colleges which provide education that is sought after by both foreign and local students. International students and college Foreign students in the United States pay some of the highest fees in the United States, with an average of 24,914 U.S. dollars. American students attending a college in New England paid an average of 14,900 U.S. dollars for tuition alone and there were about 79,751 international students in Massachusetts . Among high-income families, U.S. students paid an average of 34,700 U.S. dollars for college, whereas the average for all U.S. families reached only 28,026 U.S. dollars. Typically, 40 percent of families paid for college tuition through parent income and savings, while 29 percent relied on grants and scholarships.

From 2008 to March 6, 2024, the District of Columbia had the highest rate of school shootings nationwide, totaling around 0.7 school shootings per 100,000 residents. Louisiana, Delaware, Alabama, and Maryland rounded out the top five states with the highest school shooting rates relative to their populations. In contrast, there were no school shootings recorded in Montana, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island within the provided time period. In addition to K-12 schools and college campuses, gun-related violence in the United States often occurs at workplaces, places of worship, and restaurants and bars.

The source defines school shootings as incidents of gun violence which occurred on school property, from kindergartens through colleges/universities, and at least one person was shot, not including the shooter. School property includes, but is not limited to, buildings, fields, parking lots, stadiums and buses. Accidental discharges of firearms are included, as long as at least one person is shot, but not if the sole shooter is law enforcement or school security.

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.

The United States was the top host destination for international students worldwide. In 2022, around 1,057,200 students were enrolled in higher education in the U.S.. Furthermore, more than 718,000 and 660,000 international students enrolled in the United Kingdom and Canada, respectively.

The number of Chinese students going abroad for study kept increasing until 2019. That year, around 703,500 Chinese students left China to pursue overseas studies. The number increased by 6.25 percent compared to the previous year and made China the largest country of origin for international students in the world. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number od outbound students dropped to 450,900 in 2020. However, figures were expected to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Motivations for overseas study In China, some of the best universities are public universities which get most of their support from the government. Although the number of institutions for higher education and students enrolled in universities inside China have increased significantly in the last few years, the pathways to gaining admission to good universities are still limited. For most people, the national exam “Gaokao” remains the only way to enter a good public university. Therefore, there are students studying abroad to avoid the national exam and to gain admission to a better ranked university. For some study programs, overseas institutions are better equipped and can provide more international academic environment. These qualities attract a lot of Chinese scholars. People who have studied abroad are considered to have a global insight and better language skills, which makes them more competitive in China’s recruitment market. Financing for overseas study Developed countries and regions are still the most popular destinations for Chinese students studying abroad. In some countries, Chinese students have already become an important funding source for their local universities. English-speaking countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are the leading destinations among them. The United States have since long attracted the largest share of Chinese students, but in recent years more and more Chinese students preferred to study in the United Kingdom instead. However, since students studying abroad are not all from extremely wealthy families, non-English speaking countries where the universities charge less in tuition fees are becoming increasingly popular. While most students from China were self-funded, relying on their parents' support, the number of students who were state scholarship recipients had been increasing over the years.

In the academic year of 2022/32, more than 154,000 Chinese students were studying in the United Kingdom. The number of Chinese students studying in British higher education institutions increased by more than 80 percent in the last decade. An attractive destination for Chinese students In recent years, the United Kingdom has overtaken the United States as the top choice among the destination countries for Chinese prospective students. The more affordable tuition fees in the country compared to destinations such as the United States and Australia, the shorter duration of the postgraduate programs, and the reputation of British universities as seen in international rankings have all contributed to the high popularity of the United Kingdom among Chinese students and employers. The diversification of international study destinations At the same time, destinations for Chinese students have become more diverse. The high academic and research performance of the United States in many sectors continues to make it a desirable destination for affluent Chinese students. For students from middle-class or less well-off backgrounds, studying in places such as Japan, Germany, and France are more practical options as these countries offer more affordable programs.

The statistic depicts the literacy rate in Mexico from 2008 to 2020. The literacy rate measures the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can read and write. In 2020, Mexico's literacy rate was around 95.25 percent. The source does not provide data for 2019.Education in MexicoThe literacy rate is commonly defined as the share of people in a country who are older than 15 years and are able to read and write. In Mexico, a state with more than 115 million inhabitants, the literacy rate is above 90 percent, making it significantly higher than the global average. More than 70 percent of Mexico’s population is older than 15 years, a figure than has been quite consistent over the last ten years. Mexico’s compulsory education comprises grades 1 to 9, with an optional secondary education up to grade 12. Literacy is considered basic education. The lowest literacy rates can be found in African countries, the highest in Europe. Additionally, the literacy rate is one of the factors that determines a country’s ranking on the Human Development Index of the United Nations, which ranks the overall well-being of a country’s population. Apart from literacy, it also includes factors such as per-capita income, health and life expectancy and others. Mexico is currently not among the countries with the highest Human Development Index value.

In 2022, China had the most patent grants worldwide with 798,347 patents granted to resident and non-resident companies or organizations. The United States followed with 323,410 granted patents the same year.