Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States

United States: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 19.3% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
19.3%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
88th
of 98 countries
All-time high
26.2%
in 2000
All-time low
19.3%
in 2016
Years of data
16
1999–2016

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States, 1999–2016

01020301999200720161999: 25.6 %2000: 26.2 %2001: 25.1 %2002: 25.5 %2005: 24.5 %2006: 24.2 %2007: 24.2 %2008: 24.2 %2009: 24.5 %2010: 24.5 %2011: 24 %2012: 23.3 %2013: 20.2 %2014: 19.8 %2015: 19.5 %2016: 19.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States stood at 19.3%. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States peaked at 26.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 19.3%, in 2016.

United States ranks 88th of 98 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, both sexes (%) in United States, 1999 to 2016.
Year % Change
1999 25.6%
2000 26.2% +2.3%
2001 25.1% -4.3%
2002 25.5% +1.4%
2005 24.5% -3.8%
2006 24.2% -1.2%
2007 24.2% +0.1%
2008 24.2% -0.2%
2009 24.5% +1.2%
2010 24.5% +0.2%
2011 24.0% -2.1%
2012 23.3% -2.7%
2013 20.2% -13.6%
2014 19.8% -1.8%
2015 19.5% -1.5%
2016 19.3% -1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 25.6% 25.6% 25.6% 1
2000s 24.8% 24.2% 26.2% 8
2010s 21.5% 19.3% 24.5% 7

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 85 Algeria 19.7% compare
  2. 86 Portugal 19.4% compare
  3. 87 Spain 19.3% compare
  4. 89 India 19.2%
  5. 90 Finland 18.8% compare
  6. 91 Norway 18.6% compare

See the full ranking of 98 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States?
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States was 19.3% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 26.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 19.3% in 2016.
How does United States rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
United States ranks 88th out of 98 countries with data for 2016.
Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in United States. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-graduates-from-tertiary-education-graduating-from-business-administration/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from Business, Administration and Law programmes, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
98 places, 1,157 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

Share of all tertiary graduates who completed Business, Administration and Law programmes in the reference year.