Countries with the Highest Upper Secondary Completion Rate
This chart ranks countries by the share of the population aged 25 and over that has completed at least upper secondary education, the equivalent of finishing high school. It measures the educational floor of a society rather than its elite.
About This Dataset
Countries with the Highest Upper Secondary Completion RateBelarus leads with 97.9% of adults having completed upper secondary education, ahead of Armenia on 92.8% and Russia on 92.7%. The defining pattern is unmistakable: eight of the top ten are post-Soviet or former Eastern Bloc states, including Georgia, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Czechia and Slovakia. This reflects the Soviet education system's near-universal secondary schooling, a legacy that persists decades after its collapse and outperforms much wealthier Western nations on this specific measure. The United States at 91.5% is the only G7 country in the top ten. The contrast with the degree ranking is instructive: these countries excel at educating everyone to a basic standard, while the bachelor's leaders excel at pushing people further.
Key Findings
Auto-computed highlights from this dataset
Countries with the Highest Upper Secondary Completion Rate
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart
What This Data Shows
Auto-generated trend summaries per category
Data Sources & References
All external sources cited in this dataset
Related Charts
More statistics on similar topics