Educational attainment by level of education, age and sex

Source: UNECE Statistical Database, compiled from national official sources.

Definition: Educational attainment is defined as the highest level successfully completed by the person, in the educational system of the country where the education was received. The levels of education are defined according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED):
- Primary: ISCED level 1
- Lower secondary: ISCED level 2
- Upper and post secondary non-tertiary: ISCED levels 3-4
- Tertiary: ISCED 1997 levels 5-6 or ISCED 2011 levels 5-8.
In this table the upper secondary level includes post-secondary non-tertiary education.
For most countries the transition from ISCED 1997 to ISCED 2011 is from the scool year 2013-2014. For more details see Country Footnotes.

.. - data not available

Country: Armenia

- Change in definition (Y1980 - Y1990): Level of education ''not stated'' includes population without education attainment;
- Reference period (Y1990): Data refer to Y1989;
- Reference period (Y1980): Data refer to Y1979.

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for both sexes , Country: Armenia

Reference period (1980): Data refer to 1979

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for all levels of education , Country: Armenia

Reference period (1980): Data refer to 1979

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for both sexes , Country: Armenia

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1989

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for all levels of education , Country: Armenia

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1989

Country: Austria

- Break in methodology (2004): In 2014 a new weighting procedure for the LFS was introduced. Following this change in the weighting procedure, data was revised back to 2004;
- Change in definition (1980 - 2000): Data before 2000 do not comply with ISCED97 as regards distinction between upper secondary and tertiary. ISCED97 5B mainly included in Upper Secondary;
- Change in definition (2004 - 2015): Data include ISCED Level 3c short in lower secondary level;
- ISCED-11 (2014 onwards): Break in series due to the reclassification of a programme spanning levels: the qualification acquired upon successful completion of higher technical and vocational colleges is allocated in ISCED 2011 to ISCED level 5; under ISCED 1997 the same qualification was reported on ISCED level 4, but earmarked as equivalent to tertiary education.

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for both sexes , Country: Austria

ISCED-11 (2014 onwards): Break in series due to the reclassification of a programme spanning levels: the qualification acquired upon successful completion of higher technical and vocational colleges is allocated in ISCED 2011 to ISCED level 5; under ISCED 1997 the same qualification was reported on ISCED level 4, but earmarked as equivalent to tertiary education

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for all levels of education , Country: Austria

ISCED-11 (2014 onwards): Break in series due to the reclassification of a programme spanning levels: the qualification acquired upon successful completion of higher technical and vocational colleges is allocated in ISCED 2011 to ISCED level 5; under ISCED 1997 the same qualification was reported on ISCED level 4, but earmarked as equivalent to tertiary education

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for both sexes , Country: Austria

Change in definition (1980 - 2000): Data before 2000 do not comply with ISCED97 as regards distinction between upper secondary and tertiary. ISCED97 5B mainly included in Upper Secondary.

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for all levels of education , Country: Austria

Change in definition (1980 - 2000): Data before 2000 do not comply with ISCED97 as regards distinction between upper secondary and tertiary. ISCED97 5B mainly included in Upper Secondary.

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for both sexes , Country: Austria

Change in definition (2004 - 2015): Data include ISCED Level 3c short in lower secondary level.

Measurement: Percent of corresponding total for all levels of education , Country: Austria

Change in definition (2004 - 2015): Data include ISCED Level 3c short in lower secondary level.

Country: Azerbaijan

Reference period (1980 - 2013): Data refer to end of year.

Country: Belarus

Additional information (1990 - 2013): Total includes population without education.

Country: Belarus

Break in methodlogy (1990): Data refer to 1989 census

Country: Belarus

Break in methodlogy (2000): Data refer to 1999 census

Country: Belgium

2010: break in series: change in methodology.

Measurement: Persons , Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

- Series comparability note (Y2021): With the introduction of the new, redesigned methodology of the Labour Force Survey (Regulation (EU) 2019/1700; Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240) from January 2021, the series of data published in the previous year was interrupted. This means that the data for 2020 and 2021 are also not comparable;
- Break in series from (Y2020): Since January 2020, the Labour Force Survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been conducted continuously, throughout the year, with quarterly data release ?nd it leading to break in series compared to results from previous years;
- Population by educational attainment, educational level not stated refers to the population with no primary schooling and some primary.-->

Country: Bulgaria

- Change in definition (2003 - 2019): Annual average data.
- ISCED-11 has been used since 2014.
- Reference period (1995 - 2002): Data refer to June of respective year.
- Break in methodology (2001): Data are from 2001 census.
- Break in methodology (1990): Data are from 1992 census.
- Break in methodology (1980): Data are from 1985 census.

Country: Canada

Additional information (1990 - onwards): Data cover non-institutionalized population in the 10 provinces, i.e. excluding the three Territories.

Country: Croatia

Change in definition (1980 - 1990): Data refer to population with permanent residence irrespective of actual residence and duration.
"Education level-not stated" comprises persons with unknown education level as well as persons with no school at all.

Country: Croatia

Change in definition (2001 - 2013): "Education level-not stated" comprises persons with unknown education level as well as persons with no school at all.

Country: Croatia

Reference period (1980): Data refer to 1981

Country: Croatia

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1991

Country: Cyprus

- Y2021: Data provided at Primary Level includes also data for population with no formal education are below ISCED level 1;
- Data cover only government controlled area;
- From Y2014, data compiled using ISCED 2011 classification;
- From Y2000, persons who have not attended or finished primary education also included in primary education level;
- Change in definition (Y1990): Lower secondary level is included in upper secondary level;
- Reference period (Y1990): Data refer to Y1989;
- Reference period (Y1995): Data refer to Y1992.

Country: Estonia

- Change in definition (Y1980 - Y2000): Data are from censuses and refer to population aged 25+
Data for primary level attainment include persons who have not completed the primary level education;
- Change in definition (Y2001 - Y2013): Age group 25+ refers to 25-74, age group 50+ refers to 50-74.
Data for primary level attainment include persons who have not completed the primary level education;
- Change in definition (Y2012): Data is from census Y2011. Data refer to 31 December 2011. Data for primary level attainment include persons who have not completed the primary level education;
- Reference period (Y1980): Data refer to 1979;
- Reference period (Y1990): Data refer to 1989

Country: Finland

Data for lower secondary level include primary level.

Country: Georgia

Change in definition (1980 - 2013): Level of education ?not stated? includes population without education attainment

Country: Georgia

Reference period (1980): Data refer to 1979

Country: Georgia

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1989

Country: Germany

- Y2020-Y2021: Impact of the methodological redesign and the Covid-19 crisis on the microcensus 2020 and 2021 results: A completely new IT system was set up for the redesigned microcensus from 2020; its introduction was accompanied by technical problems. Individual technical challenges continued in the 2021 survey year. Together with the partially ongoing effects of the corona pandemic, these led to restrictions in the survey conduct. Taken together, however, the effects were much less strong than in 2020 - analysis limitations may still occur in deep technical or regional breakdowns. The average non-response rate for the first results of the 2021 microcensus is approximately 17 % at the federal level. This value is considerably lower than in 2020 (approx. 38 %). Thus, there is an improvement in the quality of the annual results in 2021 compared to 2020;
- Y2000-Y2013: Data from 1999 to 2013 according to ISCED 97;
- Y1990-Y1995: Data from 1990 to 1998 are classified according to ISCED-76.

Country: Greece

- Additional information (Y2021): In Y2021 there were significant changes in the survey due to the adoption of the new Integrated Social Statistics Framework Regulation, (EU) 2019/1700. The changes concerned the design of the research, the way data was collected, the definitions and the information collected;
- Break in methodology (Y2000): From Y2000, data refer to population residing in private households;
- Change in definition (Y2001 - Y2013): "Primary" includes also persons that did not completed ISCED 1 programs;
- Data refer to annual averages. From 2014, estimates use ISCED-2011 classification.

Country: Hungary

Break in methodlogy (1995): Before 1995, data are from population censuses. From 2000, from

Country: Hungary

Change in definition (2000 - 2008): Data refer to population aged 25-74.

Country: Iceland

- Data from Y2003-Y2019 was revised because of updated weights methods in the labor force survey introduced in 2021 aimed at reducing the nonresponse bias;
- Break in methodology (Y2003): Change in data collection procedure. Data classified according to ISCED 2011;
- Reference period (1990): 1990 refers to 1991.

Country: Ireland

From 2000, data refer to age group 25-64. From 2014, data are compiled according to ISCED-2011. As a result data breakdown by education level not fully comparable with previous years.

Country: Ireland

Reference period (1980): Data refer to1981

Country: Ireland

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1991

Country: Ireland

Reference period (1995): Data refer to 1996

Country: Israel

Break in methodlogy (2001): Changes in the weighting method.

Country: Israel

Break in methodlogy (2009): Transition to the 2008 Population Census estimates.

Country: Israel

Break in methodlogy (2012): Transitiom from a quarterly to a monthly LFS.

Country: Israel

From 2012, using ISCED-2011. Totals include population by educational attainment, pre-primary.

Country: Italy

- Break in series from (Y2018): During 2021, the Labor Force Survey underwent two major changes: 1) the introduction, from 1 January 2021, of the European Regulation (EU) 2019/1700; 2) the adaptation to the new population estimates of individuals and families derived from the Permanent Census of Population. For these reasons, a process of back-recalculation has been conducted and new time series are now available from 2018. Education attainment recalculated as of 2018 is up to age 89;
- Break in methodology (Y2004): Change in data collection procedure. From Y2014, data classified by ISCED 2011;
- Change in definition (Y1980 - Y1990): Data for primary level attainment include persons who have not completed the primary level education.

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Break in methodlogy (2000): Data refer to 1999 Census

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Break in methodlogy (2009): Data refer to 2009 Census

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1989 Census

Country: Latvia

- From Y2014, data for primary level refers to level 0 and 1 of ISCED 2011 classification;
- Change in definition (Y2002 onwards): Population 15-74 age group. For Y2002-Y2013, data for primary level refers to level 0 and 1 of ISCED 1997 classification. From Y2014, data for primary level refers to level 0 and 1 of ISCED 2011 classification;
- Change in definition (Y1995 - Y2001): Population aged 15+. Data for primary level refers to level 0 and 1 of ISCED 1997 classification;
- Reference period (Y1995): Data refer to Y1996.

Country: Luxembourg

Additional information (1990 - onwards): Data for age group 25+ refer to 25-74.

Country: Luxembourg

Break in methodlogy (2003): Switch from a face-to-face to a telephone survey

Country: Luxembourg

Break in methodlogy (2009): Random Digit Dialing has replaced the register-based sampling

Country: Luxembourg

Change in definition (1990 - 2012): The categroy `Lower secodnary` also includes persons who have at most attained the primary level

Country: Luxembourg

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1992

Country: Malta

- Y2006-Y2021: Primary includes ISCED 0 and ISCED 1;
- Break in series between Y2010 and Y2011.

Country: Netherlands

Since 2003, ''Primary'' includes also ISCED level 0 (persons who have not successfully completed ISCED 1 programs).

Country: Norway

Break in methodology (2007): As of 2007, the results of a survey on education completed abroad before immigration to Norway is included. As a result , the proportion of ''educational level not stated'' was reduced. All data compiled according ISCED 2011.

Country: Poland

Change in definition (1990 - 2002): Upper secondary level includes lower secondary level.

Country: Poland

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1988

Country: Portugal

- From (Y2014 - onwards): Data from 2014 onward are compiled according to ISCED-2011. Data for ''educational level not stated'' refer to individuals who have not successfully completed ISCED level 1;
- From (Y2011 - onwards): Data from 2011 onwards are not directly comparable with data for the previous years due to new data collection methods used in the Portuguese Labour Force Survey series.

Country: Republic of Moldova

- Break in time series (2019 onwards): From 2019 LFS is carried out on a new sampling plan
- Break in time series (2014): From 2014, data are estimated using the usual resident population.Data for 2014-2018 were recalculated based on usual resident population
- Reference period (2000-2013): Data were estimated using the number of resident population
- Territorial change (2000 onwards): Data exclude the territory of the Transnistria and municipality of Bender

Country: Romania

- Y2000-Y2021: Major revisions of survey definitions were done in 2002 and 2021. Thus, (1) data for 2002 2020 are not comparable with series published for 1996 - 2001; Data, beginning with Y2021, are not comparable with those published for previous periods.
- Break in methodology (2002): Data series of 2002-2012 are not perfectly comparable with data series of previous years. For years 2014 onward data were estimated using the resident population. For year 2013 data were estimated based on revised population figures (resident population) in accordance to the 2011 Census results. Starting with year 2014 educational attainment collected according to ISCED 2011. Educational level not stated includes persons without any formal education graduated.

Country: Serbia

- Persons included in ''Educational level not stated'' category are those who do not have any educational attainment completed.
- From Y2015, new ISCED-11 is applied.

Country: Slovakia

Change in definition (1995): data for total of education levels include only secondary and tertiary levels.

Country: Slovakia

Change in definition (2001 - 2011): data on primary education according to ISCED 97, level 1 is not available

Country: Slovenia

- Figures in category total (all levels of education) add up all given categories (primary to tertiary) but exclude people without formal education;
- From 2014 data are compiled according to ISCED-2011 and persons with ISCED level 0 are excluded.

Country: Spain

- Data are annual averages of the four quarters of the year.
- From Y2014 data are compiled according to ISCED-2011.

Country: Sweden

- From 2010 onwards, data are compiled according to ISCED-2011.
- Change in definition (2008 onwards): From 2008 data refer to population age 25+.
- Break in methodology (2002): Quality improvement and change in classification from ISCED 1976 to ISCED 1997.
- Change in definition (1990 - 2007): Data refer to population aged 25-74.

Country: Switzerland

- Since 2014, data are compiled according to ISCED-2011;
- Break in methodology (Y2010): Major changes in data collection procedures (quaterly data instead of annual data).
- Change in definition (Y2002): Change in definition of educational attainment levels;
- Change in definition (Y1990 - Y2001): Lower sedondary education includes primary education;
- Reference period (Y1990): Data refer to Y1991.

Country: Turkiye

- From Y2008-2019: Source:TurkStat, National Education Statistics Database;
- Change in definition (Y2000 - onwards): From 1997/1998: compulsory education was expanded to 8 years by law;
- From Y2012/Y2013 compulsory education was expanded to 12 years by law.(ISCED 1 -4 years + ISCED 2- 4 years + ISCED 3 - 4 years);
- From Y2005-Y2006: Secondary education period was increased to 4 years.
- From Y1980-2000: Source: Census.

Country: Ukraine

- Reference period (Y2005 - onwards): Since Y2005, for the group ''Population, educational attainment, unspecified, 25+'' included persons aged 6 and over who reported that they had no primary education or were illiterate.
- Information presented since Y2014, exclude the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and without part of the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- Reference period (Y2002): Data of the Y2001 All-Ukrainian Population Census.
- Reference period (Y1990): Data of the Y1989 All-Union Population Census.
- Reference period (Y1980): Data of the Y1979 All-Union Population Census.

Country: United Kingdom

- Reference period (2002-2011): Figures prior to 2012 are of age group 25-54 and 55+
- Break in methodology (2002-2015): Figures prior to 2016 use a different methodology, where data from other sources is used to try and estimate the attainment level when it can not be derived from the Labour Force Survey.
- Lower secondary figures will include a small number with primary or lower education.

Country: United States

- Y2011 - onwards: Current Population Survey. Data refer to the month of March (in some cases February, March, and April) of each data year. ( http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education-/-data/cps/index.html );
- Change in definition (Y1980-Y2015): Primary refers to grades 5-8, Lower Secondary refers to grade 9 in High School, no diploma, Upper Secondary refers to High School, college graduate, Tertiary refers to people who have completed Associate&
39;s degree through Doctorate degree, Not stated refers to people who didn&
39;t complete any schooling through 4th grade.
- Data based on completed schooling years.