The share of tertiary graduates completing programmes in the Education field varies widely across reporting economies. World Bank indicator SE.TER.GRAD.ED.ZS measures the percentage of all tertiary graduates in the reference year whose programme belongs to the Education field, with both sexes combined. The dataset used here contains 153 latest non-null observations.
The first thing to check is the reference year. This is not a synchronized 2020 world ranking. One latest available observation is retained for each economy, so reference years span 1999–2020. There are 56 observations dated 2018 and 33 dated 2019, while only one row is dated 2020. The map is useful for seeing the latest reported field composition across countries, but small cross-country differences should not be treated as a precise current ranking.
Table of Contents
The Education field includes teacher training and education studies
UNESCO’s ISCED Fields of Education and Training 2013 treats 01 Education as a separate broad field. It covers education science and programmes that prepare teachers for different levels or subjects, among other education-related study programmes. The indicator is therefore about the field of study completed by tertiary graduates, not the current number of teachers working in schools.
A value of 15% means that roughly 15 of every 100 tertiary graduates represented in that reference year completed a programme classified in the Education field. It does not mean that 15% of the total population are teachers, that 15% of current university students are studying education, or that 15% of the labor force works in education. The indicator also does not reveal whether graduates eventually entered teaching.
The median latest observation is about 10.61%
Across all 153 latest observations, the unweighted mean is 14.51% and the median is 10.61%. The first quartile is 5.95% and the third quartile 18.75%. These figures summarize the distribution of economy-level shares rather than defining a desirable level for every tertiary system.
The mean is not a graduate-weighted world average. A large country and a small island economy each contribute one row with equal weight. Estimating the share among all tertiary graduates worldwide would require the number of graduates in each economy as weights. The statistics here describe how the reported percentages are distributed across economies.
Latest available values still span 1999 to 2020
The reference-year distribution contains 18 observations from 2017, 56 from 2018, 33 from 2019 and only one from 2020. Another 15 observations are dated 2016, and older rows extend back to 1999. This mixed-vintage structure provides broad coverage of the latest reported data, but it is not suitable for a finely ranked same-year league table.
Education-field graduate shares can change as teacher-training policy, school-age populations, university participation and employment conditions change. Comparing an older latest observation with a newer one may therefore reflect both cross-country differences and time differences. Reference years should remain visible wherever the percentages are compared.
A 2017–2020 subset still shows a wide spread
Restricting the dataset to observations dated 2017–2020 leaves 108 economies. Their unweighted mean is 11.79% and median 9.56%. Within this subset, 49 observations are at least 10%, 19 are at least 20%, and 6 are at least 30%. The field therefore occupies very different shares of tertiary graduate cohorts even within the more recent observations.
| Economy | Reference year | Education-field share |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall Islands | 2019 | 38.8% |
| Maldives | 2017 | 36.6% |
| Ghana | 2019 | 34.2% |
| Mozambique | 2018 | 31.9% |
| Honduras | 2018 | 31.6% |
| Samoa | 2018 | 31.3% |
| Namibia | 2017 | 29.8% |
| Lesotho | 2018 | 29.3% |
| Kazakhstan | 2019 | 25.9% |
| Uzbekistan | 2019 | 25.7% |
The Marshall Islands reports 38.8% in 2019, the Maldives 36.6% in 2017 and Ghana 34.2% in 2019. Mozambique is 31.9% in 2018, Honduras 31.6% and Samoa 31.3%. These percentages describe the composition of tertiary graduates. They do not prove that teacher shortages have been solved, that school quality is higher, or that all Education graduates entered teaching jobs.
A high share may arise in systems where teacher education occupies a large part of tertiary study, while a lower share can occur where engineering, business, health, ICT or other fields account for more graduates. Absolute numbers can tell a different story. A large tertiary system with a modest percentage may still produce more Education graduates than a smaller system with a high percentage.
Korea reports 7.24% in 2017; Germany reports 11.23% in 2018
Selected economies illustrate why the percentage and reference year belong together. Korea, Rep. reports 7.24% in 2017. Germany reports 11.23% in 2018, France 4.12% in 2018, Canada 5.57% in 2018 and Australia 8.64% in 2018. India reports 9.09% in 2019, Brazil 19.11% in 2018 and South Africa 20.36% in 2018. The United States and United Kingdom have 2016 as their latest observations in this file.
| Economy | Reference year | Education-field share |
|---|---|---|
| Korea, Rep. | 2017 | 7.24% |
| United States | 2016 | 6.75% |
| Canada | 2018 | 5.57% |
| United Kingdom | 2016 | 9.25% |
| Germany | 2018 | 11.23% |
| France | 2018 | 4.12% |
| Australia | 2018 | 8.64% |
| India | 2019 | 9.09% |
| Brazil | 2018 | 19.11% |
| South Africa | 2018 | 20.36% |
A higher graduate share does not automatically mean higher education quality
The field composition of tertiary graduates and the quality of schooling are different concepts. Student learning outcomes, teacher qualifications, pupil-teacher ratios, teacher pay, retention, school resources and public education spending are not measured by this indicator. An economy can report a high share of Education graduates while still facing shortages in specific subjects, regions or school levels.
The reverse is also possible. A lower percentage can coexist with a large absolute number of Education graduates when the tertiary system itself is large. Assessing teacher supply therefore requires graduate counts, teacher recruitment, workforce age profiles, attrition and school-age population trends in addition to this field-of-study percentage.
A reported zero is different from an unfilled map area
There are 6 rows with a recorded value of exactly 0%. An unfilled map area can mean something else: data may be unavailable, or a small island or separately reported territory may not have its own polygon in the low-resolution boundary layer. Missing map geometry should never be interpreted as a statistical zero.
Some island economies have statistical observations but are difficult to display on a low-resolution world map. The map should therefore be used to see broad spatial patterns, while exact economy values are better checked in the table or original source.
What this indicator can and cannot answer
The data can identify economies where Education programmes make up a relatively large or small share of tertiary graduates. It can also show how mixed the reporting years are and how widely the more recent observations are distributed. These patterns are useful starting points for questions about teacher education and the composition of tertiary study.
The indicator cannot by itself explain why the percentage is high or low. National teacher-certification routes, education systems, university structures, vocational pathways and labor-market conditions differ. It should not be used alone to label an economy as having too many or too few teachers.
Data source and comparison limits
The statistical source is the World Bank SE.TER.GRAD.ED.ZS indicator. Field classifications follow the UNESCO ISCED Fields of Education and Training framework, where Education is broad field 01.
Because the dataset keeps one latest non-null observation per economy, a same-year comparison requires a separate matched-year subset. Likewise, identifying whether an economy’s Education share is rising or falling requires a time series rather than one latest observation.
The percentage should also be distinguished from the absolute number of graduates. Economies with different tertiary-system sizes can produce very different numbers of Education graduates even when their percentages are similar. Workforce analysis should combine the percentage with graduate counts and teacher-labor-market data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this percentage represent the number of teachers?
No. It is the share of tertiary graduates in the reference year who completed Education-field programmes. It is not the share of workers employed as teachers.
What is included in the Education field?
UNESCO ISCED-F broad field 01 covers Education, including education studies and teacher-training programmes for different levels or subjects.
Can the values be treated as a 2020 ranking?
No. The dataset keeps each economy’s latest non-null observation, with reference years spanning 1999–2020, and only one row is dated 2020.
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