The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) has released new national data on educational attainment and mean years of schooling for the population aged 25 years and older.

Attainment data are now available for 147 countries, 9 more than in the previous release. The data are available in the form of 2 indicators: the highest completed level of education and the minimum completed level of education.

The new educational attainment data follow the levels of education defined in the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011. Compared to ISCED 1997, ISCED 2011 makes it possible to present more disaggregated data for persons who have completed tertiary education.

In addition, this is the first UIS release to present time series with attainment data. Data on the highest and minimum completed levels of education are available for the period of 1995 to 2015, allowing analysis of national trends in attainment over time.

The UIS is also releasing an expanded dataset with estimates of mean years of schooling. This indicator measures the average number of years of education completed by a country’s adult population (25 years and older), excluding years spent repeating grades. Mean years of schooling are available for 149 countries, covering the period 1970 to 2014.

To access the new data go to the UIS Data Centre and click on Education – Educational attainment. The tables with attainment data can also be accessed directly from the links below:

• Population by highest completed level of education
• Population by minimum completed level of education (cumulative)
• Mean years of schooling