What We’re Showing
This infographic shows countries with the highest share and number of people aged 25–64 who have a bachelor’s degree or higher, highlighting the most educated populations.
The data comes from a report by CBRE Research.
Key Takeaways
- Ireland ranks highest by education rate, with 52.4% of its working-age population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Switzerland, Singapore, and Belgium follow closely, all exceeding 44% in education rates.
- India has the highest absolute number of educated individuals at 139.4 million, despite a low share of 14.2%.
- The U.S. is one of the most educated countries in both percentage and absolute number terms.
- China has the second-highest number of educated adults at 88.1 million, but the lowest percentage in the dataset (6.9%).
- Europe dominates the list in terms of education rate, with more than half of the top 20 countries located in the region.
Dataset
| Country | Population Age 25–64 with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher | Share of Population with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland 🇮🇪 | 1.8M | 52.4% | Europe |
| Switzerland 🇨🇭 | 2.7M | 46.0% | Europe |
| Singapore 🇸🇬 | 1.9M | 45.0% | Asia |
| Belgium 🇧🇪 | 3.3M | 44.1% | Europe |
| United Kingdom 🇬🇧 | 19.1M | 43.6% | Europe |
| Netherlands 🇳🇱 | 4.8M | 42.0% | Europe |
| United States 🇺🇸 | 78.2M | 40.3% | North America |
| Australia 🇦🇺 | 6.9M | 39.8% | Oceania |
| Israel 🇮🇱 | 2.2M | 39.7% | Middle East |
| Sweden 🇸🇪 | 2.6M | 39.6% | Europe |
| South Korea 🇰🇷 | 14.4M | 39.4% | Asia |
| Taiwan 🇹🇼 | 2.0M | 38.9% | Asia |
| Poland 🇵🇱 | 9.0M | 37.9% | Europe |
| Denmark 🇩🇰 | 1.4M | 37.7% | Europe |
| Canada 🇨🇦 | 14.8M | 36.9% | North America |
| Norway 🇳🇴 | 1.3M | 36.9% | Europe |
| Finland 🇫🇮 | 1.2M | 35.6% | Europe |
| Japan 🇯🇵 | 25.4M | 34.8% | Asia |
| Hong Kong SAR 🇭🇰 | 1.3M | 34.8% | Asia |
| Germany 🇩🇪 | 17.7M | 32.9% | Europe |
| Philippines 🇵🇭 | 22.4M | 29.5% | Asia |
| Portugal 🇵🇹 | 2.0M | 29.4% | Europe |
| Spain 🇪🇸 | 9.2M | 28.8% | Europe |
| Hungary 🇭🇺 | 1.8M | 28.5% | Europe |
| France 🇫🇷 | 0.8M | 28.1% | Europe |
| Czechia 🇨🇿 | 1.9M | 26.9% | Europe |
| Argentina 🇦🇷 | 7.1M | 23.7% | South America |
| Chile 🇨🇱 | 3.1M | 22.9% | South America |
| Brazil 🇧🇷 | 31.6M | 21.5% | South America |
| Italy 🇮🇹 | 8.0M | 21.5% | Europe |
| Mexico 🇲🇽 | 17.8M | 20.4% | North America |
| Colombia 🇨🇴 | 6.9M | 18.9% | South America |
| Costa Rica 🇨🇷 | 0.7M | 18.9% | North America |
| Romania 🇷🇴 | 2.3M | 18.6% | Europe |
| India 🇮🇳 | 139.4M | 14.2% | Asia |
| Mainland China 🇨🇳 | 88.1M | 6.9% | Asia |
Credit: Visual Capitalist
