By Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills
Educational attainment is higher than ever, with nearly half of young adults in OECD countries obtaining university degrees or other forms of tertiary education. Some 48% of young adults now attain this level of education, up from around 27% in 2000. These individuals are likely to have higher earnings, more stable employment and greater societal engagement. This unprecedented achievement is the result of actions taken by policymakers. However, although tertiary education has expanded, the 2025 edition of Education at a Glance highlights a persistent issue: the disadvantage faced by children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
The data reveal the inequality of opportunity at the heart of many OECD education systems. A young adult with a tertiary-educated parent is nearly three times more likely to hold a tertiary qualification, on average, than someone whose parents failed to complete upper secondary education. This phenomenon is not simply an accident of birth; it is a result of entrenched structures that reinforce social and economic disadvantage. Some countries fare particularly badly, with as few as 3% of young adults whose parents did not finish high school going on to earn a tertiary qualification. That means they are 21 times less likely to graduate compared to those with a tertiary-educated parent.
This inequality of opportunity across many OECD countries is detrimental to economic and social mobility. However, some countries show that this dynamic is not inevitable and can, indeed, be reversed. Denmark, England and Belgium’s Flemish Community have managed to shrink the divide in achieving tertiary education through targeted interventions. For example, Danish policymakers have put a strong focus on education and career guidance and offered alternative admissions routes for candidates whose potential might be overlooked due to traditional academic metrics.
The OECD recommends various policy actions to tackle educational inequality. Creche and nursery attendance may seem a separate issue to university attainment, but equal access to quality early childhood education and care is crucial. According to multiple studies, countries that prioritise strong early childhood systems tend to see both stronger academic results and more equitable social outcomes. Despite this, government spending remains modest in this area in many countries and high private contributions are necessary in some countries. In fact, there are some countries with a higher share of fees in early childhood education than at the university level, which is a bad recipe for equitable societal outcomes.
As children grow older, access to equal educational opportunities remains essential. Data from the OECD’s PISA survey show that advantaged 15-year-old students performed better than their disadvantaged peers in all countries and economies. In some places, students’ socio-economic status is particularly related to academic performance, accounting for 20% or more of the variation in maths scores. This suggests that educational policies can either exacerbate or help reduce inequality. Unless disadvantaged schools are allocated sufficient resources to compensate for their shortfalls, social and academic segregation between schools may widen the performance gaps linked to socio-economic disparities.
Policymakers should also advocate for more inclusive and diverse pathways into tertiary education. For example, creating specialised tertiary programmes tailored for vocational students, who are often from less advantaged backgrounds. This can help tackle the issue of vocational courses being frequently overlooked by traditional university admission procedures. University programmes, with their heavy emphasis on theory, often fail to align with the hands-on experience these learners bring.
In addition, expanding targeted financial support for tertiary students can help. For instance, countries with high tuition fees can promote participation by offering income-contingent student loans. This allows graduates to repay based on their future earnings. Grants and scholarships can also help cover tuition and living costs. Measures like these reduce the financial risk of pursuing a degree and enables students to focus on their studies, instead of needing to work to fund university.
However, simply improving access to universities and other tertiary institutions does not guarantee passage through them. Data from over 30 OECD and partner countries reveal that just 44% of bachelor’s students finish their programme on time. Men fare particularly poorly, with an on-time completion rate 14 percentage points below their female peers. To tackle this issue, the OECD recommends targeted academic and career guidance which, together with shorter courses, can improve course planning, credit accumulation and engagement. Student support can also help foster a stronger sense of belonging, which is crucial for retention.
On top of these issues, we know many graduates lack foundational skills. In literacy, 13% of tertiary-educated adults perform at Level 1 or below in OECD tests, meaning they can understand, at best, short texts on familiar topics. This raises serious questions about the effectiveness of all stages of education and training systems. When people leave universities and colleges without basic proficiencies, it points to gaps earlier in the system. And if primary and lower secondary schools fail to build essential skills, higher education cannot be the sole solution. This emphasises the crucial role of early intervention and targeted support during a child’s early and teenage years.
While the expansion of tertiary education has delivered great benefits for individuals and societies, the challenge now is to ensure those gains are equally shared. Many people from disadvantaged backgrounds already attain tertiary education, securing better jobs which, in turn, helps fuel a more skilled and competitive workforce, driving economic growth and reducing social inequalities. But not enough disadvantaged students have the opportunity to gain the qualifications they are capable of obtaining. The message is clear: when disadvantaged students succeed, society benefits. Policymakers have the power to proactively address inequality and must do more to tackle the disadvantages faced by children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, so that everyone shares in the benefits that education brings.
