World

And the World’s Most Educated Country Is…

By Samantha GrossmanSept. 27, 20120

Image Source / Getty Images

With spiking tuition costs, insurmountable loan balances, and the unemployment rate for recent college graduates hovering around 53%, it’s clear that a college education hasn’t gotten the best rap lately. Despite the ongoing financial woes across the globe, though, many think that college is still worth the investment. A new study shows that we’ve continued to flock to institutions of higher learning, enrolling at record rates over the past few years. Not surprisingly, the percentage of adults with degrees soared highest in developed nations, reaching 30% in 2010. But which of these nations can boast the status of most educated?

(MORE: Where Are America’s Most Well-Read Cities?)

Based on a study conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of the 10 countries with the highest proportion of college-educated adult residents. Topping the charts is Canada — the only nation in the world where more than half its residents can proudly hang college degrees up on their walls. In 2010, 51% of the population had completed a tertiary education, which takes into account both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Canada commanded the top spot in the last study in 2000, but even still has shown serious improvement. A decade ago, only 40% of the nation’s population had a college degree.

Snagging the number two most-educated spot was Israel, which trailed Canada by 5%. Japan, the U.S., New Zealand and South Korea all ranked with more than 40% of citizens having a higher-education degree. The top 10 most-educated countries are:

1. Canada

2. Israel

3. Japan

4. United States

5. New Zealand

6. South Korea

7. United Kingdom

8. Finland

9. Australia

10. Ireland

Read the original article here at 24/7 Wall St., for a detailed breakdown of each nation and its education status.

MORE: And the Most Peaceful Country in the World Is …

108 comments

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Evistoelobo

Canada 1st .... LMFAO ... It is so not possible !

coyote84

Everyone here is making excuses or disputing the facts! The poll was done with all countries evaluated equally and by professional people! If your country is not on there its because you didn't make the cut! And if you think it should be, your only helping prove why it isn't! The poll is clearly none bias as it was done in America by Americans who only placed 4th on the list!!! I know we all think we are just the smartest in the world but get a clue people, they studied and published the facts!!!

YahyaAbdulla

The word 'educated' can be such a fluid term.

tilbert15

This is very misleading. The quality of many so-called advanced education institutions is not only lacking it is often not much better than a top high school education. Particularly junior colleges and community colleges. In this respect many European pre-university studies are far above and beyond US requirements. This ranking is not only misleading it is anything but fact-based and reliable.

MihalisPillos

Tertiary education statistics in Europe:

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Tertiary_education_statistics

diamond

OMG! Why isn't there Ghana or India? Really need to find out...

diamond

India has to make parents believe that girls can do anything. If they can cook, they can get educated too.

AgonsiPrecious

I actually dont think there is any country on Earth that can be referred to as that, there should be a better title for any such country. For anyone in search of useful info on great and exclusive higher education in Nigria, visit http://www.unn.edu.ng/

becisaidso

Were the numbers to account for all higher education, rather than conventionally accredited degrees exclusively, Israel would top the list; #2 still isn't half bad for such a young country.
Good day.

coyote84

@becisaidso Lmao Israel is not a young country! Open a Bible! Israel was around long before most countries on that list!!!

robert.henry.eller

1 Like

The correct headline would be "The World's Most Degreed Country Is . . ."

But this is Time Magazine.

George W. Bush received an Bachelors degree from Yale, and an MBA from Harvard. In case you don't know the difference between a degree and an education.

benlang

Go Israel!

WesForgio

2 Like

I am Canadian. I hold a bachelors degree and a law degree.

All i have to say is LOL @ all these people for thinking education means much . MOST Bachelors degrees = worthless. Most practical "associate diplomas = very valuable.

Who cares who has the most education? All that matters is which society is creating, innovating and working.

We have a huge problem in Canada with graduating the vast majority of students with useless degrees such as english, polic soci, any type of arts or social science degree. IMO these degrees really don't count because these people don't create anything valuable or do much of substance for our society.

My kids WILL do a professional degree in university or they will go to a practical college and learn a trade.

UMassFACGuy

@WesForgio The arts don't CREATE? Gee, there's only a whole field call the creative arts. What a narrow and shallow definition of what's worthwhile. Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it's useless. Quite honestly, I could do without lawyers far more easily than I could do without musicians.

WesForgio

2 Like

As a caveat, the US has us Canadians beat hands down for innovation and creation. So our education % really is moot.

Lander

@WesForgio you're aware of what has been accomplished with Israel's last 65 years?

WesForgio

2 Like

A degree by itself is a great tool for wiping your bum. A degree followed by action, innovation and creation is worth something.

PancakeSorting

If a highly educated person is defined as one with just an undergraduate degree, then I would expect those countries that pay for their citizens' undergraduate degrees to have the most 'highly educated people,' as defined. So this list is mildly surprising. But I suspect the definition of 'highly educated individuals' varies between countries. Is an 'advanced degree' an associate's degree, an undergraduate degree, or a graduate degree? If this varies between countries, the list is rather pointless, as most lists are.

skugga7

1 Like

LOL, us as 4 you're kidding right? ever heard of the south? they unfortunately count too. try this:

1. south korea

2. finland

3. china

4. japan

diamond

I didnt know CHIANA was there too!!!

Kreydor

1 Like

@skugga7 You must not be educated if you still cling to antebellum misconceptions of the South. Try to show your education, not your butt.

captainwhamtastic

1 Like

@skugga7 you realize China is more than just the sliver of land bordering the sea that gets all the attention right? We are dealing with percentages here, you cannot ignore Tibet, Xinjiang, Szechuan, Harbin, Yunnan etc etc.... which is around 80% of the population... the other 3 is more likely.

Dan_05

Canada's data is very inaccurate. Their government includes anybody with an associates degree in the pool of "highly educated" whereas the US only considers those with a bachelors or higher.

Typical Canadian pomp and circumstance though. Anything to look better than their plebeian southerly neighbors.

coyote84

@Dan_05 A very un intelligent statement!!! Clearly in a poll all parties are considered in the same manner!!! If you weren't a typical excuse making american, that would have been considered!!!

WesForgio

@Dan_05By tertiary or associate degrees do you mean skilled trades? I.e plumbers, electricians etc?

AndreMcHenry

1 Like

@Dan_05

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Alfik9

Canada has really high percentage of tertiary educated people and that gives it best ranking. The other indicators are more or less the same as average of OECD..this article compares Canada with average of OECD: http://jamiesarner.com/toronto-life/2012/12/canada-most-educated-country/

_nvt_

OK so I have a question about these stats....where do they come from, and why is RUSSIA is nowhere in the top 10??? According to the world bank it had 54% tertiary education rate in 2008, making it actually beat canada for No 1...

timestemporaryacc

@_nvt_ Russian Education. Education in Firing Guns?

reinertorheit

@timestemporaryacc @_nvt_ Sure, sure, fatso.

Meantime, how come your scum nation is hitching rides to the ISS on Russian rockets?

Because your spacecraft BLOW UP mid-air, killing the entire crew???

Now die of cancer, yankee slob.

IgorLemhk

@timestemporaryacc @_nvt_ ... and how to make spaceships, nuclear weapon, Mendeleev table and many other clever things

dcborn61

@mjecclestone Clearly you are all too smart for us! Only Israel gives you a run for your money. #Canada

mjecclestone

@dcborn61 Yar, but there's lots of talk up here about the pointlessness of all them undergrads (reference: http://t.co/sjDWjdR6).

dcborn61

@mjecclestone Maybe a better economy will help. Would like to think college good for everyone. Thanks for the article, love librarians!

mjecclestone

@dcborn61 Naw, it's systemically a bad policy practice. But glad you liked the article! The @walrusmagazine is our Harper's. :-)

btt1943

One must differentiate between an educated and knowledgeable person. A person may be highly knowledgeable and skillful, but he/she could be unscrupulous and put their expertise to inappropriate use. A truly educated person is one with integrity and humility.Top most “educated” countries? How far-fetched. (mtd1943)

Doranimated

@zaidbenjamin No, Palin country is just the wisest.

arabized

@AhmedwAlAttar educated in killing people

timestemporaryacc

@arabized Jihadis kill more people than educated people and I am afraid you are inspired by them. How about ped0phile prophet

AH44KS

@Meir_J Yeah, as it limits access resources for others, builds more illegal settlements & gets 2% of its GDP from US in 'aid' ... proud.

astaris

@AH44KS oh and what does "limits access resources for others" mean? And what do theWest Bank settlements (containing 1-2% of the Israelis) have to do with 8 million people's level of education, 1.5 million of which are Israeli Arabs (in Israel-proper)?

astaris

@AH44KS Israel does not get US economic or social aid and has not done so for approx. 20 years. It gets $3 billion FMS dollars (can be spent only in the US) purely for security, because a country Israel's size would not normally have the defense budget that Israel is forced to have. That is a nominal number which has not changed since 1973, so is worth a third of what it what then. Also, the US supports ad hoc projects such as the Arrow anti-missile program which benefits both countries. Only the ex-friendly Arab countries such as Egypt receive economic support from the US.

lennaert.vanhee

Why is Flanders the richest and most innovative region in the world? Cos they have the best education system in the world! So don't foul yourself people. La Flandre est le plus éducative du monde!

astaris

@lennaert.vanhee yea well when the Flemish have an Einstein, Freud, Spielberg, Zuckerberg, Shechtman, Yonath, Aumann, Ciechanover, Hershko, Kahneman etc give us a call... meanwhile it's the Jews and Israel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates

T.P.Chia

1 Like

It is inadequate to call a country more or most educated simply based on the the percentage of its college-graduated population. It is true that the better people are educated, the nation are likely to be more energetic, effective and productive, but a truly educated country is more than certificates and degrees. What matters is the total quality of its population--a truly educated person might not have a college degree or only have a few years of classroom education, but is open-minded, self-understanding, wise, creative, empathetic and efficient.

A truly educated country has a mind that is always searching for truth, learning new ideas, trying to reduce such human suffering as poverty, ignorance, bigotry and injustice. A truly educated country is forward-looking, always willing to change for the wellbeing of humankind.

It is not objective to rank Canada as the most educated country in the world simply because more than 50% of its population are college graduates. Is Canada the most successful country on earth? From a historial perspective, the USA deserves the title of the most educated country on the basis of its educational., technological and economic advancement, and how it changed from a slavery society to being a protector of civil rights and human liberty. The most educated country will always change its heart and soul for what is good and right.

TristanVerboven

@T.P.ChiaActually "educated" is clearly qualified as "highest proportion of college-educated adult residents" for the purpose of the study. It does not rate countries based on their intelligence or enlightenment. That would be very difficult to do without any pre-conceived notions. It would risk having those conducting the study hold their own values and successes as bearing the highest virtue. Kinda like what you are doing.

True-North

@T.P.ChiaMany americans are very biased though. I've seen so many people advocate for creationism within the american science classroom, it doesn't seem that many Americans are adapt to change.

America has had a lot of scientific innovation occur within its borders, I'll give you that. But some of that achievement needs to recognize the international help that they received. The Apollo Missions had 33 Canadian Engineers who relocated to work for NASA after the cancellation of the Avaro Arrow Project. (http://www.casmuseum.org/common/PDF/pressreleases/CASMApolloAnnRelease.pdf)

The Canadian government also carries out many Peacekeeping missions across the globe. Canada also has Universal Healthcare which helps reduce suffering regardless of socioeconomic status. Canada also recovered from the recent economic collapse faster because of tighter regulation of the banking system.

Canada also has over 50% Tertiary Education meaning a Undergraduate degree and a Graduate Degree.

Canada does promote what is right, Canada didn't need to fight a war to know that slavery was wrong, the underground railway helped lead slaves to Canada where they would be safe.

TristanVerboven

@True-North @T.P.Chia To be fair, Canada also had slavery. They got rid of it when everyone else did.

PenangJames

a degree is one path of which there are many, and the kid born today in asmall indian village compared to the child of a chick, with no moreaccolades than the size of her chest, will have a disproportionateimpact on the respective childs' future - perhaps money for the bigchest degree child would be better spent alleviating the disparity atbirth, not accentuating the geographic disparity at 18....just saying x

malekmoukaddem

@Olivier_Varin is this where an america,myself, cracks a canadian stereotype joke?haha miss u bro