"Editorial
The transition to a more digital and knowledge-intensive economy is increasing demand for advanced skills and higher qualifications across the OECD as well as partner countries. This demand will continue to grow as population aging leads to skills shortages.
In response, educational attainment is at an all-time high, with 48% of young adults in OECD countries now completing tertiary education – up from just 27% in 2000. These graduates tend to enjoy higher earnings, more stable employment, better health and greater civic participation.
Although tertiary graduates demonstrate higher skill levels on average, as measured by the OECD Survey of Adult Skills, holding a tertiary qualification does not always equate to strong skills. Across the 29 OECD countries and economies covered, 13% of tertiary-educated adults failed to reach even the baseline literacy proficiency level in 2023, meaning they could understand only short texts on familiar topics. This illustrates the need for countries to both expand tertiary access, and raise the quality and relevance of the education provided.
Low tertiary completion rates are another challenge that undermine the return on public investment, deepen skills shortages and limit access to opportunities. Across 32 OECD and partner countries, only 43% of bachelor’s students graduate on time, rising to just 70% within three additional years, with relatively lower rates among men (63% compared to 75% for women). Policy interventions to improve completion rates can include strengthening academic preparation and career guidance in secondary education, as well as designing tertiary programmes with clearly defined course sequences and support measures for those at risk of falling behind.
More inclusive and flexible tertiary educational options are also needed. These should include tailored programmes for vocational students, admissions processes that better recognise diverse learner profiles, and shorter, targeted offerings such as microcredentials.
The impact of family educational background on tertiary attainment has remained persistent over the past decade. In 2012, just 23% of young adults whose parents had not completed upper secondary education attained a tertiary degree, compared to 65% of those with at least one tertiary-educated parent. This gap remained significant in 2023: only 26% of young adults from families with lower educational attainment had completed tertiary education, compared to around 70% from highly educated households.
Some countries show that this dynamic can be reversed. Denmark, England and Belgium’s Flemish Community have managed to shrink the divide in achieving tertiary education through targeted interventions.1
In primary and secondary education, socio-economic status also continues to play a significant role in academic achievement - accounting for 20% or more of the variation in maths scores in some countries, according to PISA data. To prevent these disparities from deepening, disadvantaged students and schools require further support. Persistent teacher shortages disproportionately affect disadvantaged learners and should also be addressed.
The OECD recommends a comprehensive approach to ensuring equality of opportunity across all levels of education, as we increase both enrolment and quality to meet pressing skills needs. This begins with strong early childhood education systems, which are associated with better academic performance, and better outcomes for people, our societies and our economies.
1 The magnitude of this change is subject to larger statistical uncertainty than other estimates in the report due to small sample sizes.
Mathias Cormann,
OECD Secretary-General"