Labor force with advanced education in North America
North America: Labor force with advanced education was 71.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force with advanced education in North America, 1994–2025
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total working-age population with advanced education.
Analysis
North America recorded 71.3% for labor force with advanced education in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force with advanced education in North America peaked at 81.0% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 71.3%, in 2025.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Labor force with advanced education in North America, year by year
| Year | % of total working-age population with advanced education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 81.0% | — |
| 1995 | 80.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 80.4% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 80.3% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 80.1% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 79.6% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 79.2% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 78.8% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 78.5% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 78.2% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 77.9% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 77.9% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 77.8% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 77.7% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 77.7% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 77.4% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 76.6% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 76.1% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 75.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 75.1% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 74.5% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 74.1% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 73.8% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 73.5% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 73.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 73.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 71.8% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 71.7% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 72.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 72.1% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 71.8% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 71.3% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.3% | 79.6% | 81.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 78.1% | 77.4% | 79.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.6% | 73.3% | 76.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.8% | 71.3% | 72.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 7 Uganda 87.2% compare
- 8 Bolivia 86.9% compare
- 9 Paraguay 86.8% compare
- 10 Iceland 86.5% compare
- 11 United Kingdom 86.2% compare
- 12 Seychelles 86.2% compare
- 13 Montenegro 85.6% compare
More work & labour data for North America
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 51.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 52.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 69.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 74.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 56.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force with advanced education in North America?
- Labor force with advanced education in North America was 71.3% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force with advanced education recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 81.0% in 1994.
- What is the lowest labor force with advanced education recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.3% in 2025.
- How does North America rank for labor force with advanced education?
- North America ranks 10th out of 17 groups with data for 2025.
- Is labor force with advanced education rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force with advanced education (% of total working-age population with advanced education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The ratio of the labor force with advanced education to the working-age population with advanced education. Advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or doctoral degree or equivalent education level according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).