(Reprinted from the November 2011 issue of the CGS Communicator)

The United States continues to experience a high level of educational attainment, but many countries have surpassed, or will soon surpass, the U.S., according to the OECD’s latest annual compendium of international education statistics, Education at a Glance (OECD, 2011). The 495-page report assembles a wealth of data on a range of education indicators, including educational attainment, educational expenditures, and participation in education. This article uses data from Education at a Glance to examine educational attainment across OECD and G-20 countries.

The OECD report uses the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) framework, which takes into account differences in the structure of tertiary education (i.e., higher education) across countries, to make international comparisons of educational outcomes. The ISCED framework includes three categories that capture the equivalent of all U.S. associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, doctorates, and first-professional degrees. ISCED 5A (tertiary-type A) education programs are theory-based programs that prepare students for advanced research studies or for entry into professions with high skills requirements. This category includes U.S. bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as U.S. first-professional degrees in fields such as medicine, dentistry, and law. ISCED 5B (tertiary-type B) education programs are generally shorter in duration than ISCED 5A programs and provide students with practical, technical, or occupational skills. This category includes U.S. associate’s degrees. The final higher education category, ISCED 6 (advanced research programs), includes degree programs that result in the awarding of an advanced research qualification such as the Ph.D. (OECD, 1999; OECD 2011).

Across all OECD countries in 2009, 30% of all 25-64 year-olds had earned a tertiary-type B credential or higher, equivalent to a U.S. associate’s degree or higher. The 2009 figure reflects a nine percentage point gain from 21% in 1998. Twenty-one percent of all 25-64 year-olds in OECD countries in 2009 had earned a tertiary-type A credential or higher, equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree or higher. Educational attainment rates for advanced research programs alone, equivalent to a U.S. Ph.D., are not included in the report.

The United States and Japan together accounted for 47% of all 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education (tertiary-type B or higher) in OECD countries in 2009, meaning that nearly one-half of the total population of individuals with tertiary education in OECD countries lived in the United States or Japan. If G-20 countries are also included in this calculation, the United States continues to be top-ranked, with 26% of the total population of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education in OECD and G-20 countries in 2009, followed by China (12%), Japan (11%), the United Kingdom (5%), and Germany (5%).

Figure 1 presents tertiary educational attainment rates by country for two age groups: 25-34 year-olds and 55-64 year-olds. In 2009, the United States ranked third among OECD countries in the percentage of 55-64 year-olds who had attained tertiary education. In the U.S., 41% of individuals in this age group had attained tertiary education in 2009, trailing only behind the Russian Federation (44%) and Israel (45%), and considerably higher than the OECD average of 22%. Among 25-34 year-olds, however, the United States ranked 16^th in the percentage who had attained tertiary education, indicating that educational attainment is increasing faster in other OECD countries than in the United States. In the U.S., 41% of 25-34 year-olds had attained tertiary education in 2009, higher than the 37% OECD average, but considerably lower than top-ranked South Korea (63%). Canada (56%), Japan (56%), and the Russian Federation (55%) also had educational attainment rates for 25-34 year-olds that were considerably higher than the rate in the U.S.

Due to their stronger gains in educational attainment among younger individuals, more countries are expected to surpass the U.S. or increase their advantage in overall tertiary attainment (25-64 year-olds) over time, according to Education at a Glance. Countries such as Korea, Japan, Norway, Ireland, and Sweden, among others, already have high levels of tertiary attainment, but are expected to see that advantage increase in the coming years. In contrast, the United States, Israel, the Russian Federation, and Finland, among others, will see other countries approaching or surpassing their levels of educational attainment. Poland, Chile, and Portugal are expected to move closer to the OECD average in the coming years, while a handful of countries, including Austria, Brazil, and Germany, are expected to fall further behind in tertiary attainment.  

The United States ranks higher in educational attainment when tertiary-type B programs are excluded. Among all OECD countries in 2009, 31% of all 25-64 year-olds in the United States had earned a tertiary-type A credential or higher, equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree or higher. This figure was second only to Norway, where 34% had achieved this level of educational attainment. Once again, however, the U.S. ranked lower for 25-34 year-olds (11^th) than 55-64 year-olds (1^st), indicating that other countries will soon surpass the U.S. in the attainment of tertiary-type A credentials or higher.

Over the past decade (1999 to 2009), the average annual growth rate in tertiary attainment (tertiary-type B or higher) in the United States was 1.4%. This compares with an OECD average of 3.7%, and rates as high as 6.6% for Luxembourg, 6.5% for Poland, and 5.8% for Ireland. The 1.4% average annual rate of increase for the United States was the lowest of all OECD countries.

While the United States has long been a leader in educational attainment, the OECD data clearly show that the United States’ ranking has slipped over time and that it may soon be surpassed by even more countries in the near future. In order for the United States to remain competitive in the 21^st century global marketplace, it must increase educational attainment for its citizenry, particularly graduate degree recipients with “the advanced knowledge and skills that will secure our future intellectual leadership in the knowledge economy (Wendler et al., 2010, pp. 1).”

By Nathan E. Bell, Director, Research and Policy Analysis