From Norway to South Korea, discover the nations with the highest proportion of individuals with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Over the last 30 years, there has been a ‘significant’ increase in educational attainment across almost all OECD countries.
From students completing a Bachelor’s to PhD candidates working to complete complicated theses, there are millions of individuals all around the globe obtaining higher levels of education.
But where exactly are the most educated nations in the world? Here we unpack data from OECD’s ‘Education at a Glance’ 2025 report, ranking the ten nations with the highest percentage of working-age adults with a college or university degree, in reverse order:
10) Norway – 50.4 per cent
At number ten is Norway, where around 50 per cent of individuals between the ages of 25 and 64 hold a college or university-level degree. Popular studies include health, welfare and sports – such as nursing, sport science and physiotherapy – as well as business and natural sciences.
In Norway, the higher education system is known as the Bologna Process: firstly, individuals can obtain a Bachelor’s degree, typically three years in length, followed by a two-year-long Master’s and a PhD, taking three years to complete.
9) Israel – 50.5 per cent
In Israel, there are several types of institutions where students can obtain degrees, such as research universities, academic colleges or teaching training colleges. In the academic year 2021–2022, around 88,200 students graduated from higher education in the nation.
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Despite having one of the largest percentages of adults with a university degree, the share of 25-34 year-olds in Israel who have attained a Master’s or equivalent tertiary education is relatively low compared with many OECD countries.
Compared to many countries, Israel has large shares of women entering certain fields like IT and engineering.
8) US – 50.7 per cent
According to the US Census Bureau report, Bachelor’s degrees in fields such as business management, psychology, nursing and education are among the most popular to study in the US.
Out of all US states, the District of Columbia has one of the highest rates – 57.6 per cent – of adults above the age of 25 holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Massachusetts also has a high rate – 42.9 per cent, while West Virginia has one of the lowest at 20.3 per cent.
7) Sweden – 51.8 per cent
In Sweden, there are around 48 higher education institutions for students to select from, for a range of Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programmes.
In the nation, 25–34 year-old workers with a Bachelor’s degree earn around 17 per cent more than peers without upper secondary attainment. For those with Master’s or PhD level qualifications, earnings can be up to 36 per cent higher.
Popular degree programmes include engineering, technology, business, environmental and sustainability studies and social sciences.
6) Australia – 53.1 per cent
In Australia, business and management degrees are particularly popular –especially among international students. Other major fields include health sciences, engineering, computer science and education.
Australians with a PhD are up to six times more likely to be in the top ten per cent of incomes compared to those with lower educational levels.
PhDs in the nation are also on the rise: Australia has seen an influx in international enrolments in PhDs between 2008 and 2020: from around 11,200 to more than 23,000. In 2023, there were 66,000 PhD candidates in Australia, with 40 per cent from overseas.
5) UK – 53.8 per cent
The UK comes in at number five, where more than half of individuals between 24 and 65 have a university or college degree.
In 2022–2023, there were almost three million students studying at UK higher education providers, comprised of around two million undergraduates and 883,000 postgraduates.
The UK also has a substantial doctoral research population: there were 113,000 postgraduate research students studying in the nation between 2022 and 2023.
One study found across England, graduates earned approximately one-third more than non-graduates around ten years from graduation.
The most popular subject area in the UK is business and management, accounting for about 21 per cent of all student enrolments in UK higher-education institutions.
4) Luxembourg – 54.4 per cent
According to Luxembourg’s national statistics, around 48 per cent of people under the age of 40 have a tertiary education, of which 28 per cent hold a Master’s degree or higher.
Among EU countries, Luxembourg also holds the highest share of PhD students – 12.7 per cent.
Due to Luxembourg’s strong economy, popular degree fields include finance, banking and investment management, as well as European law and computer science.
3) South Korea – 56.2 per cent
While South Korea has one of the highest proportions of individuals with a Bachelor’s or college-level degree, it has one of the lowest shares of people whose highest qualification is a Master’s or equivalent.
Popular degree fields in the nation include business and management, engineering and technology and other applied technical areas.
South Korea invests heavily in education – governmental spending per student (primary to post-secondary, non-tertiary) is around $21,476. However, government spending for tertiary students is much lower than the OEC average: about $6,617 per tertiary student compared with the average of $15,102.
2) Ireland – 57.5 per cent
Across wider age groups, Ireland remains ‘well above’ the EU average for tertiary attainment. Total enrolments in higher education have risen significantly: between 2017–2018 and 2023–2024, enrolments increased by about 15 per cent from 231,710 to 265,905 people.
Post-graduate job opportunities are also incredibly extensive. 62.8 per cent of undergraduates were on permanent or open-ended contracts nine months after graduation, while 84.6 per cent of postgraduate taught graduates were in employment nine months after graduation.
In Ireland, popular degree studies include business and finance, computer science, engineering and health sciences.
1) Canada – 64.7 per cent
Canada takes the top spot for the highest percentage of 24 to 65-year-olds with a college or university degree.
In the academic year 2022–2023, around 617,000 students graduated with a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian public post-secondary institution.
Among Canadians, the most popular fields of study are business, management and public administration.
Ontario is the province with the highest percentage of individuals with a Bachelor’s degree or higher – 36.8 per cent – followed by British Columbia (35 per cent), Yukon (32.9 per cent) and Alberta (31.1 per cent).
