Which countries have the most educated populations?

Higher levels of tertiary education among a populace generally indicate greater potential for innovation and economic growth, but this isn’t always the case.

In this graphic, Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu visualizes educational attainment by country, breaking things down into three categories: below high-school, high-school or diploma, and college or university degree.

Data & Discussion

This data comes from the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2025 report. It compares educational attainment among working-age adults across 45 countries as of 2024.

Country
Below high-school
(%)
High-school or
diploma (%)
College or university
degree (%)
🇨🇦 Canada
6.4
28.9
64.7
🇮🇪 Ireland
10.7
31.7
57.5
🇰🇷 South Korea
6.5
37.3
56.2
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
17.6
28.0
54.4
🇬🇧 UK
17.1
29.0
53.8
🇦🇺 Australia
13.0
33.9
53.1
🇸🇪 Sweden
11.7
36.5
51.8
🇺🇸 U.S.
8.0
41.3
50.7
🇮🇱 Israel
12.3
37.2
50.5
🇳🇴 Norway
17.1
32.5
50.4
🇱🇹 Lithuania
7.0
45.3
47.7
🇨🇭 Switzerland
13.8
39.7
46.5
🇩🇰 Denmark
16.2
38.7
45.1
🇳🇱 Netherlands
18.3
36.6
45.1
🇧🇪 Belgium
17.2
37.8
45.0
🇮🇸 Iceland
20.4
35.1
44.5
🇳🇿 New Zealand
16.9
39.2
44.0
🇫🇷 France
16.1
40.6
43.4
🇫🇮 Finland
10.9
46.4
42.7
🇪🇪 Estonia
9.5
47.9
42.5
🇪🇸 Spain
34.7
23.0
42.3
🇱🇻 Latvia
10.7
48.9
40.5
🇵🇱 Poland
5.2
55.4
39.5
🇦🇹 Austria
13.1
49.2
37.7
🇬🇷 Greece
18.1
46.7
35.3
🇸🇮 Slovenia
11.0
54.4
34.6
🇩🇪 Germany
15.9
49.9
34.3
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
13.1
53.1
33.8
🇨🇱 Chile
25.0
42.1
32.9
🇵🇹 Portugal
38.5
30.1
31.4
🇭🇺 Hungary
11.9
57.0
31.1
🇨🇴 Colombia
32.7
36.8
30.6
🇭🇷 Croatia
9.7
59.9
30.4
🇸🇰 Slovak Republic
6.3
64.7
29.0
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
51.7
20.5
27.8
🇨🇿 Czechia
5.7
66.8
27.5
🇹🇷 Türkiye
49.9
23.1
26.9
🇦🇷 Argentina
32.2
43.6
23.7
🇮🇹 Italy
33.3
44.4
22.3
🇲🇽 Mexico
54.4
23.7
21.9
🇧🇷 Brazil
39.9
38.6
21.5
🇷🇴 Romania
24.6
56.2
19.2
🇮🇳 India
75.2
10.5
14.2
🇮🇩 Indonesia
57.3
29.7
13.1
🇿🇦 South Africa
49.3
41.7
9.0

Leaders in Higher Education

Canada tops the list with nearly 65% of adults holding a college or university degree, followed closely by Ireland and South Korea.

These nations have invested heavily in expanding access to higher education, driven by knowledge-based economies that reward advanced qualifications.

According to other OECD data, higher levels of education bring significant earnings advantages.

For instance, across OECD nations, tertiary graduates typically earn double the income of individuals who have not completed secondary education (high school).

Balanced Education Models in Europe

Countries like Austria and Germany demonstrate a more balanced split between tertiary and vocational education (education related to a specific job or trade).

For example, Germany ranks 19th in the world in terms of GDP per capita, despite only 34% of its adults having a university degree.

The country has a strong apprenticeship system where students combine hands-on training with theoretical learning, resulting in a high rate of employment upon graduation.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The Universities Producing the Most Billionaires on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.