New job opportunities.
Higher wages.
New perspectives, ideas, and ways of life.
These are just some of the benefits to having access to higher education.
And most people agree that this can change the trajectory of your life.
With that in mind, let’s find out which countries
are the most educated in the world today.
We’ll be using data from 2017 compiled by the Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) --
which calculates the percentage of a given country’s population
between the age of 25-64 years old,
who have completed higher education programs:
which include 2-year and 4-year programs, as well as vocational schools.
Let’s jump straight into it.
Number 5 on our list of the most educated countries is... the United States.
It has a population of over 328 million people
and nearly 46.4% of those between 25-64
have completed a higher education program.
The U.S. is home to some of the world’s most prestigious universities in the world.
At least 5 out of the top 10 are based in the states, according to some rankings.
And while some of the great minds of the world flock to some American institutions --
they are considerably out of reach for the general population in the states.
And while a significant number of Americans have completed a higher education
program, many of them are left with an insurmountable amount of student loan debt.
Collectively, Americans have an estimated 1.5 trillion dollars worth of student loans,
Now, on to number 4 on our list of the most educated countries... South Korea.
With a population of over 51 million people,
47.7% of South Korean’s between 25-64 have completed a higher education program.
That percentage is only slated to increase in the coming years,
as the country tops the list of most educated young people --
with an astounding 69.8% completing a higher
education program who are between the ages of 25-34.
The country has experienced an incredible economic boom
after it rebounded from the Korean war in the 1950s that devastated the country.
It has since become the 11th largest economy in the world
and the 3rd largest in Asia, according to the International Monetary Fund .
This was a result of the South Korean government’s shift in the 1980s toward industrialization.
Despite the country’s huge success in educating more of its citizens,
the societal pressure to get into the best colleges
has had an immense psychological toll on young people there.
For school aged children there, education is incredibly competitive --
with young kids working tirelessly to get into South Korea’s top universities when they’re older.
Many of them study at school and after-school programs for 16 hours a day, 11 months out of the year.
This intense level of stress, some studies say, has contributed to a growing mental health crisis in South Korea.
It has the highest suicide rate in the world for adolescents between 10-19.
Next on our list, coming in at number 3 is… Israel.
With a population of about 8.3 million people,
50.9% of Israelis between 25-64 have completed a higher education program.
Most Jewish Israelis are required to serve in the ‘military’ following their primary education,
with men having to serve 3 years and women, roughly 2 years.
That means, unlike most of the world, Israelis are entering college at a later age:
between 20-24. According to 2015 OCED calculations, that made Israelis on average,
the oldest undergraduate graduates in the world.
Israel has a booming high-tech and start-up industry, which has steadily grown since 2012 .
These industries include cybersecurity, automotives, and artificial intelligence.
Which might be why Bloomberg News recently ranked
Israel the 10th most innovative country in the world.
Second on our list of most educated countries in the world is… Japan
With a population of over 126 million people,
51.4% of Japanese between 25-64 have completed a higher education program.
And things will only get better for Japan as time goes on --
with 60.4% of young people between 25-34 completing a higher education program.
Japan has the 3rd largest economy in the world according to the IMF.
This economic status, is in part a result of the country’s prioritization of education following the end of world war 2.
But that prioritization on education has created an stressful environment for school children.
This pressure to be successful in school and the workplace,
much like in South Korea, has only contributed to a growing suicide crisis in Japan as well.
Just last year, the country recorded its highest suicide rate among children and teens in 30 years.
The Japanese government recently announced a plan to cut the country’s suicide rate by 30% by 2026.
And now, onto the most educated place in the world… Canada.
With a population of over 35 million people,
56.7% of Canadians between 25-64 have completed a higher education program.
As time passes, that number is projected to increase --
since 60.9% of young people between 25-34 have completed a higher education program.
Despite this, a growing number of young Canadians face a troubling trend --
one where they are being overeducated, and underemployed after graduating.
There is no official calculation, but it’s estimated that on average 1 in 3
college graduates between the ages of 25-29 are underemployed.
That basically means that though someone may have a job,
it's not paying them enough or making use of their full skillset.
And while the financial aid for college is significant,
a number of students are still unable to make it by without loans.
60 percent of Canadians leave college with an average of $27,000 in debt.
As the demographics, economies, and prioritization of higher education shift,
so will the most educated countries in the world.
So will The US, South Korea, Israel, Japan, and Canada remain on top for long?