{"id": 1271634, "name": "Share of adults with tertiary education (Lee & Lee + OECD)", "unit": "%", "createdAt": "2026-06-22T08:56:09.000Z", "updatedAt": "2026-06-26T08:54:37.000Z", "coverage": "", "timespan": "1870-2024", "datasetId": 8015, "shortUnit": "%", "columnOrder": 0, "shortName": "share_tertiary_education", "catalogPath": "grapher/oecd/2026-06-21/education_attainment_distribution/education_attainment_distribution#share_tertiary_education", "descriptionShort": "Share of adults aged 25\u201364 who have attained [tertiary education](#dod:tertiary-education).", "descriptionProcessing": "For each country, we use OECD data from its earliest available year onward. For years before the first OECD observation, we use the Lee & Lee (2016) historical estimates up to 2010. Countries without any OECD data retain the full Lee & Lee series up to 2010. The Barro & Lee projections (2015-2040) previously used have been dropped because they significantly underestimated tertiary attainment in many countries compared to observed data.", "type": "float", "grapherConfigIdETL": "019eee8b-56ee-759b-a6be-247a3a990de9", "dataChecksum": "9281141693788237496", "metadataChecksum": "-4644488863951644128", "datasetName": "Adults' educational attainment distribution", "updatePeriodDays": 365, "datasetVersion": "2026-06-21", "nonRedistributable": false, "display": {"name": "Share of adults with tertiary education", "unit": "%", "shortUnit": "%"}, "schemaVersion": 2, "processingLevel": "major", "presentation": {"titlePublic": "Share of adults with tertiary education", "attributionShort": "Lee and Lee; OECD", "topicTagsLinks": ["Global Education"]}, "descriptionKey": ["[Tertiary education](#dod:tertiary-education) \u2014 a university degree or another qualification beyond secondary school \u2014 opens doors to higher earnings, better job security, and a wider range of life choices. How widely it's attained tells us how broadly those opportunities have spread.", "Reliable, year-by-year data on tertiary attainment only exists for recent decades, and only for OECD countries. To see how this has changed over the long run, or to cover the rest of the world, we rely on historical reconstructions instead.", "This indicator combines two sources as a result. For OECD countries, we use the [OECD's own survey data](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/?fs[0]=Topic,0%7CEducation%20and%20skills%23EDU%23&pg=0&fc=Topic&bp=true&snb=117), which goes back to 1981 in some cases. For all other years and countries, we use historical estimates from [Lee & Lee (2016)](http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/LeeLee2016.pdf), which reach as far back as 1870.", "The two sources don't measure quite the same thing. The OECD counts people who finished their degree, while Lee & Lee count anyone who started one, whether or not they finished it. In most countries this makes little difference, but in countries where many people enroll without completing a degree, the two figures can diverge.", "Comparisons across the full time span should be made with some caution, since each country switches from estimate to survey data at a different point."], "dimensions": {"years": {"values": [{"id": 1870}, {"id": 1875}, {"id": 1880}, {"id": 1885}, {"id": 1890}, {"id": 1895}, {"id": 1900}, {"id": 1905}, {"id": 1910}, {"id": 1915}, {"id": 1920}, {"id": 1925}, {"id": 1930}, {"id": 1935}, {"id": 1940}, {"id": 1945}, {"id": 1950}, {"id": 1955}, {"id": 1960}, {"id": 1965}, {"id": 1970}, {"id": 1975}, {"id": 1980}, {"id": 1985}, {"id": 1990}, {"id": 1995}, {"id": 2000}, {"id": 2005}, {"id": 2010}, {"id": 2004}, {"id": 2006}, {"id": 2008}, {"id": 2009}, {"id": 2011}, {"id": 2012}, {"id": 2013}, {"id": 2014}, {"id": 2017}, {"id": 2018}, {"id": 2019}, {"id": 2020}, {"id": 2021}, {"id": 2022}, {"id": 2023}, {"id": 1989}, {"id": 1991}, {"id": 1993}, {"id": 1994}, {"id": 1997}, {"id": 1998}, {"id": 1999}, {"id": 2001}, {"id": 2002}, {"id": 2003}, {"id": 2007}, {"id": 2015}, {"id": 2016}, {"id": 2024}, {"id": 1992}, {"id": 1981}, {"id": 1996}, {"id": 1987}, {"id": 1988}, {"id": 1982}, {"id": 1983}, {"id": 1984}, {"id": 1986}]}, "entities": {"values": [{"id": 15, "name": "Afghanistan", "code": "AFG"}, {"id": 273, "name": "Africa", "code": "OWID_AFR"}, {"id": 16, "name": "Albania", "code": "ALB"}, {"id": 17, "name": "Algeria", "code": "DZA"}, {"id": 21, "name": "Argentina", "code": "ARG"}, {"id": 275, "name": "Asia", "code": "OWID_ASI"}, {"id": 23, "name": "Australia", "code": "AUS"}, {"id": 24, "name": "Austria", "code": "AUT"}, {"id": 28, "name": "Bangladesh", "code": "BGD"}, {"id": 29, "name": "Barbados", "code": "BRB"}, {"id": 4, "name": "Belgium", "code": "BEL"}, {"id": 31, "name": "Belize", "code": "BLZ"}, {"id": 32, "name": "Benin", "code": "BEN"}, {"id": 34, "name": "Bolivia", "code": "BOL"}, {"id": 37, "name": "Brazil", "code": "BRA"}, {"id": 39, "name": "Bulgaria", "code": "BGR"}, {"id": 42, "name": "Cambodia", "code": "KHM"}, {"id": 43, "name": "Cameroon", "code": "CMR"}, {"id": 44, "name": "Canada", "code": "CAN"}, {"id": 172, "name": "Chile", "code": "CHL"}, {"id": 171, "name": "China", "code": "CHN"}, {"id": 170, "name": "Colombia", "code": "COL"}, {"id": 166, "name": "Costa Rica", "code": "CRI"}, {"id": 143, "name": "Cote d'Ivoire", "code": "CIV"}, {"id": 165, "name": "Croatia", "code": "HRV"}, {"id": 164, "name": "Cuba", "code": "CUB"}, {"id": 163, "name": "Cyprus", "code": "CYP"}, {"id": 162, "name": "Czechia", "code": "CZE"}, {"id": 167, "name": "Democratic Republic of Congo", "code": "COD"}, {"id": 161, "name": "Denmark", "code": "DNK"}, {"id": 160, "name": "Dominican Republic", "code": "DOM"}, {"id": 201, "name": "Ecuador", "code": "ECU"}, {"id": 65, "name": "Egypt", "code": "EGY"}, {"id": 259, "name": "El Salvador", "code": "SLV"}, {"id": 156, "name": "Estonia", "code": "EST"}, {"id": 78, "name": "Eswatini", "code": "SWZ"}, {"id": 276, "name": "Europe", "code": "OWID_EUR"}, {"id": 202, "name": "Fiji", "code": "FJI"}, {"id": 155, "name": "Finland", "code": "FIN"}, {"id": 3, "name": "France", "code": "FRA"}, {"id": 151, "name": "Gambia", "code": "GMB"}, {"id": 6, "name": "Germany", "code": "DEU"}, {"id": 150, "name": "Ghana", "code": "GHA"}, {"id": 149, "name": "Greece", "code": "GRC"}, {"id": 148, "name": "Guatemala", "code": "GTM"}, {"id": 146, "name": "Guyana", "code": "GUY"}, {"id": 145, "name": "Haiti", "code": "HTI"}, {"id": 139, "name": "Honduras", "code": "HND"}, {"id": 144, "name": "Hong Kong", "code": "HKG"}, {"id": 138, "name": "Hungary", "code": "HUN"}, {"id": 207, "name": "Iceland", "code": "ISL"}, {"id": 137, "name": "India", "code": "IND"}, {"id": 136, "name": "Indonesia", "code": "IDN"}, {"id": 135, "name": "Iran", "code": "IRN"}, {"id": 134, "name": "Iraq", "code": "IRQ"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Ireland", "code": "IRL"}, {"id": 133, "name": "Israel", "code": "ISR"}, {"id": 8, "name": "Italy", "code": "ITA"}, {"id": 132, "name": "Jamaica", "code": "JAM"}, {"id": 14, "name": "Japan", "code": "JPN"}, {"id": 130, "name": "Jordan", "code": "JOR"}, {"id": 129, "name": "Kenya", "code": "KEN"}, {"id": 208, "name": "Kuwait", "code": "KWT"}, {"id": 122, "name": "Latvia", "code": "LVA"}, {"id": 123, "name": "Lesotho", "code": "LSO"}, {"id": 121, "name": "Liberia", "code": "LBR"}, {"id": 120, "name": "Libya", "code": "LBY"}, {"id": 119, "name": "Lithuania", "code": "LTU"}, {"id": 210, "name": "Luxembourg", "code": "LUX"}, {"id": 117, "name": "Malawi", "code": "MWI"}, {"id": 116, "name": "Malaysia", "code": "MYS"}, {"id": 115, "name": "Mali", "code": "MLI"}, {"id": 212, "name": "Malta", "code": "MLT"}, {"id": 213, "name": "Mauritius", "code": "MUS"}, {"id": 113, "name": "Mexico", "code": "MEX"}, {"id": 110, "name": "Morocco", "code": "MAR"}, {"id": 109, "name": "Mozambique", "code": "MOZ"}, {"id": 142, "name": "Myanmar", "code": "MMR"}, {"id": 107, "name": "Nepal", "code": "NPL"}, {"id": 5, "name": "Netherlands", "code": "NLD"}, {"id": 106, "name": "New Zealand", "code": "NZL"}, {"id": 105, "name": "Nicaragua", "code": "NIC"}, {"id": 104, "name": "Niger", "code": "NER"}, {"id": 294, "name": "North America", "code": "OWID_NAM"}, {"id": 102, "name": "Norway", "code": "NOR"}, {"id": 101, "name": "Pakistan", "code": "PAK"}, {"id": 100, "name": "Panama", "code": "PAN"}, {"id": 98, "name": "Paraguay", "code": "PRY"}, {"id": 97, "name": "Peru", "code": "PER"}, {"id": 96, "name": "Philippines", "code": "PHL"}, {"id": 11, "name": "Poland", "code": "POL"}, {"id": 95, "name": "Portugal", "code": "PRT"}, {"id": 245, "name": "Reunion", "code": "REU"}, {"id": 92, "name": "Romania", "code": "ROU"}, {"id": 12, "name": "Russia", "code": "RUS"}, {"id": 89, "name": "Senegal", "code": "SEN"}, {"id": 88, "name": "Serbia", "code": "SRB"}, {"id": 87, "name": "Sierra Leone", "code": "SLE"}, {"id": 85, "name": "Slovakia", "code": "SVK"}, {"id": 83, "name": "Slovenia", "code": "SVN"}, {"id": 81, "name": "South Africa", "code": "ZAF"}, {"id": 295, "name": "South America", "code": "OWID_SAM"}, {"id": 127, "name": "South Korea", "code": "KOR"}, {"id": 9, "name": "Spain", "code": "ESP"}, {"id": 141, "name": "Sri Lanka", "code": "LKA"}, {"id": 79, "name": "Sudan", "code": "SDN"}, {"id": 10, "name": "Sweden", "code": "SWE"}, {"id": 7, "name": "Switzerland", "code": "CHE"}, {"id": 77, "name": "Syria", "code": "SYR"}, {"id": 198, "name": "Taiwan", "code": "TWN"}, {"id": 75, "name": "Thailand", "code": "THA"}, {"id": 74, "name": "Togo", "code": "TGO"}, {"id": 73, "name": "Trinidad and Tobago", "code": "TTO"}, {"id": 71, "name": "Tunisia", "code": "TUN"}, {"id": 70, "name": "Turkey", "code": "TUR"}, {"id": 68, "name": "Uganda", "code": "UGA"}, {"id": 1, "name": "United Kingdom", "code": "GBR"}, {"id": 13, "name": "United States", "code": "USA"}, {"id": 63, "name": "Uruguay", "code": "URY"}, {"id": 238, "name": "Venezuela", "code": "VEN"}, {"id": 355, "name": "World", "code": "OWID_WRL"}, {"id": 61, "name": "Yemen", "code": "YEM"}, {"id": 60, "name": "Zambia", "code": "ZMB"}, {"id": 80, "name": "Zimbabwe", "code": "ZWE"}]}}, "origins": [{"id": 218, "title": "Human Capital in the Long Run", "description": "Datasets on estimated school enrollment ratios from 1820 to 2010 and estimated educational attainment for the total, female, and male populations from 1870 to 2010. The estimates are available in five-year intervals for 111 countries.\n\nDatasets were last updated in 2021 September. The research provides insightful analysis on the progression and trends of educational attainment over a long historical period, offering a comprehensive understanding of educational developments globally.\n", "producer": "Lee and Lee", "citationFull": "Lee, Jong-Wha and Hanol Lee, 2016, \u201cHuman Capital in the Long Run,\u201d Journal of Development Economics, vol. 122, pp. 147-169.", "urlMain": "https://barrolee.github.io/BarroLeeDataSet/DataLeeLee.html", "dateAccessed": "2023-11-20", "datePublished": "2016", "license": {"url": "https://barrolee.github.io/BarroLeeDataSet/OUPProj.html", "name": "2021 by Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee."}}, {"id": 15529, "title": "Adults' educational attainment distribution", "description": "Distribution of educational attainment among adults aged 25-64, by age group and gender.\nData are based on national labour force surveys, censuses, and household surveys, mapped to the ISCED 2011 classification.\nCovers OECD members and selected partner economies.", "producer": "OECD", "citationFull": "OECD (2026). Education at a Glance - Adults' educational attainment distribution, by age group and gender.", "attributionShort": "OECD", "urlMain": "https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/population-with-tertiary-education.html", "urlDownload": "https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.EDU.IMEP,DSD_EAG_LSO_EA@DF_LSO_NEAC_DISTR_EA,1.0/.F+M+_T.Y25T64.ISCED11A_0+ISCED11A_0T2+ISCED11A_3_4+ISCED11A_5T8..........OBS...A?startPeriod=1981&endPeriod=2024&dimensionAtObservation=AllDimensions&format=csvfilewithlabels", "dateAccessed": "2026-06-21", "datePublished": "2025", "license": {"url": "https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/", "name": "\u00a9 OECD"}}]}