The 10 Most Educated Countries in the World
By Charles B. Stockdale and Michael B. Sauter
In the past 50 years, college graduation rates in developed countries
have increased nearly 200%, according to Education at a Glance 2011, a
recently published report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD). The report shows that while education has
improved across the board, it has not improved evenly, with some
countries enjoying much greater rates of educational attainment than
others. Based on the report, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 developed
countries with the most educated populations.
The countries with the most highly educated citizens are also some of
the wealthiest in the world. The United States, Japan and Canada are on
our list and also have among the largest GDPs. Norway and Australia,
also featured, have the second and sixth-highest GDPs per capita,
respectively. All these countries aggressively invest in education.
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The countries that invest the most in education have the most-educated
people. All of the best-educated countries, except for the UK, fall
within the top 15OECD countriesfor greatest spending on tertiary — that
is, college or college-equivalent — spending as a percentage of GDP. The
U.S. spends the second most and Canada spends the fourth most.
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Interestingly, public expenditure on educational institutions relative
to private spending by these countries is small compared with other
countries in theOECD. While the majority of education is still funded
with public money, eight of the countries on our list rely the least on
public funding as a percentage of total education spending.
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The countries included here have had educated populations for a long
time. While they have steadily increased the percentages of their
populations with postsecondary educations, the increases are modest
compared to developing countries. The U.S., Canada and Japan have had
tertiary educational attainment above 30% since at least 1997. Poland, a
recently developed country that is not on our list, had a tertiary
educational rate of 10% in 1997. As of 2009, that rate had grown to 21%.
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These are the 10 most educated countries in the world.
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10. Finland
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 1.8% (3rd lowest) GDP per capita: $36,585 (14th
highest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 3.15% (10th lowest)
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Finland is a small country relative to the otherOECDmembers. The share
of its adult population with some sort of postsecondary education,
however, is rather large. This select group is reaching the end of its
expansion. From 1999 to 2009, the number of college-educated adults
increased only 1.8% annually — the third-smallest amount among allOECD
countries. Finland is also one of only two countries, the other being
Korea, in which the fields of social sciences, business and law are not
the most popular among students. In Finland, new entrants are most
likely to study engineering, manufacturing and construction.
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9. Australia
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 3.3% (11th lowest) GDP per capita: $40,719 (6th
highest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 14.63% (3rd highest)
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Australia’s population grew 14.63% between 2000 and 2009. This is the
third-largest increase amongOECD countries. Its tertiary-educated adult
population is increasing at the much less impressive annual rate of
3.3%. Australia also spends the sixth-least amount in public funds on
education as a percentage of all expenditures. The country also draws
large numbers of international students.
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8. United Kingdom
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 4.0% (9th highest) GDP per capita: $35,504 (16th
highest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 3.47% (13th lowest)
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Unlike most of the countries with the highest percentage of educated
adults, the UK’s educated group increased measurably — more than 4%
between 1999 and 2009. Its entire population only grew 3.5% between 2000
and 2009. One aspect that the UK does share with a number of other
countries on this list is relatively low public expenditure on education
institutions as a percentage of all educational spending. As of 2008,
69.5% of spending came from public sources — the fourth-smallest amount
amongOECD countries.
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7. Norway
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): N/A GDP per capita: $56,617 (2nd highest) Pop.
change (2000 – 2009): 7.52% (14th highest)
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Norway has the third-greatest expenditure on educational institutions
as a percentage of GDP, at 7.3%. Roughly 23% of that is spent ontertiary
education. In Norway, more than 60% of all tertiary graduates were in a
bachelor’s program, well more than the U.S., which is close to
theOECDaverage of 45%. The country is one of the wealthiest in the
world. GDP per capita is $56,617, second only to Luxembourg in the OECD.
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6. South Korea
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 39% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 5.3% (5th highest) GDP per capita: $29,101 (13th
lowest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 3.70% (14th lowest)
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Korea is another standout country for its recent increase in the
percentage of its population that has a tertiary education. Graduates
increased 5.3% between 1999 and 2009, the fifth-highest amongOECD
countries. Like the UK, this rate is greater than the country’s recent
population growth. Korea is also one of only two countries — the other
being Finland — in which the most popular fields of study are not social
sciences, business and law. In Korea, new students choose to study
education, humanities and arts at the greatest rates. Only 59.6% of
expenditures on educational institutions come from public funds — the
second-lowest rate.
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5. New Zealand
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 40% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 3.5% (14th lowest) GDP per capita: $29,871 (14th
lowest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 11.88% (8th largest)
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New Zealand is not a particularly wealthy country. GDP per capita is
less than $30,000, and is the 14th lowest in the OECD. However, 40% of
the population engages in tertiary education, the fifth-highest rate in
the world. The country actually has a rapidly growing population,
increasing 11.88% between 2000 and 2009. This was the eighth-largest
increase in the OECD. Part of the reason for the high rate of tertiary
graduates is the high output from secondary schools. More than 90% of
residents graduate from secondary school.
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4. United States
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 41% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 1.4% (the lowest) GDP per capita: $46,588 (4th
highest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 8.68% (12th highest)
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The U.S. experienced a fairly large growth in population from 2000 to
2009. During the period, the population increased 8.68% — the 12th
highest among OECD countries. Meanwhile, the rate at which the share of
the population with a tertiary education is growing has slowed to an
annual rate of 1.4% — the lowest among the 34 OECD countries. Just 71%
of funding for educational institutions in the country comes from public
funds, placing the U.S. sixth-lowest in this measure. Among OECD
countries, the largest share of adults with a tertiary education live in
the United States — 25.8%.
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3. Japan
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 44% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 3.2% (10th lowest) GDP per capita: $33,751 (17th
lowest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 0.46% (6th lowest)
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In Japan, 44% of the adult population has some form of tertiary
education. The U.S. by comparison has a rate of 41%. Japan’s population
increased just 0.46% between 2000 and 2009, the sixth-slowest growth
rate in the OECD, and the slowest among our list of 10. Japan is tied
with Finland for the third-highest upper-secondary graduation rate in
the world, at 95%. It has the third-highest tertiary graduation rate in
the world, but only spends the equivalent of 1.5% of GDP on tertiary
education — the 17th lowest rate in the OECD.
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2. Israel
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 45% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): N/A GDP per capita: $28,596 (12th lowest) Pop.
change (2000 – 2009): 19.02% (the highest)
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Although there is no data on the percentage of Israeli citizens with
postsecondary education dating back to 1999, the numbers going back to
2002 show that growth is slowing dramatically compared to other
countries. In fact, in 2006, 46% of adults ages 25 to 64 had a tertiary
education. In 2007 this number fell to 44%. Only 78% of funds spent on
educational institutions in Israel are public funds. The country is also
only one of three — the other two being Ireland and Sweden — where
expenditure on educational institutions as a proportion of GDP decreased
from 2000 to 2008. Israel also had the largest increase in overall
population, approximately 19% from 2000 to 2009.
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1. Canada
Pct. population with postsecondary education: 50% Avg. annual growth
rate (1999 – 2009): 2.3% (5th lowest) GDP per capita: $39,070 (10th
highest) Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 9.89% (10th highest)
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In Canada, 50% of the adult population has completed tertiary
education, easily the highest rate in the OECD. Each year, public and
private expenditure on education amount to 2.5% of GDP, the
fourth-highest rate in the world. Tertiary education spending accounts
for 41% of total education spending in the country. In the U.S., the
proportion is closer to 37%. In Israel, the rate is 22%. In Canada,
nearly 25% of students have an immigrant background.
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