Educational attainment : A snapshot of 50 years of trends in expanding education

Abstract

As a result of the rapid educational expansion in the aftermath of the Second World War the proportion of 25-34 year-olds with upper secondary education or higher has almost doubled across OECD countries, from 43% in 1965 to 84% in 2015. In 1965, no OECD country had more than 80% of 25-34 year-olds attaining at least upper secondary education but by the turn of the century about half and by 2015 all but six have met this threshold, signalling a first step towards a higher-educated population. In 2015, across OECD countries, half of 25-34 year-olds with upper secondary education had also attained tertiary education, while in 1965 the share was only 30%.