A 24/7 Wall St. report, published earlier this year, identified which countries were the most educated, defining them as “the ten countries with the highest proportion of adults with a college degree.” The ranking consisted of member OECD countries and additional major economies.
The top ten countries were:
1. Canada
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 51%
2. Israel
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 46%
3. Japan
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 45%
4. United States
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 42%
5. New Zealand
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 41%
6. South Korea
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 40%
7. United Kingdom
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 38%
8. Finland
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 38%
9. Australia
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 38%
10. Ireland
Percentage of population with tertiary education: 37%
Other factors, including GDP per capita, were also factored into this ranking, which explains why the United Kingdom, Finland, and Australia are still ranked separately, even though they all have 38% of their population with a tertiary education.
Higher levels of education have helped people remain employed throughout the recession. For those who have at least a college degree, unemployment rates have only jumped from 3.3% to 4.7% for those in developed nations. However, those with less than a high school diploma saw the unemployment rate rise from 8.8% to 12.5%.
Not surprisingly, the countries that spend the most on education end up with populations that are the most educated. “As in previous years, the best-educated countries tend to spend the most on tertiary education as a percentage of gross domestic product. The United States and Canada, among the most educated countries, spend the most and third most, respectively.”
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