Education & Science

Education and science have different priorities all over the world. While education is compulsory in some countries, it is reserved for specific groups in other places. Despite the lack of a universal understanding of what sufficient and quality education is, the global society can agree on one thing: Everyone should have the right to education. This was cemented in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Among 20 pertinent topics, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all was deemed the fourth most pressing issue worldwide.

Leading university
Harvard University
Business school with highest alumni salary
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Illiteracy rate among adults in Sub-Saharan Africa
34.7 percent

Education Level & Skills

Education for all?
The illiteracy rate among all adults (over 15-year-old) in 2019, by world region
The illiteracy rate among all adults (over 15-year-old) in 2019, by world region
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While inhabitants of some countries have become increasingly more educated, the overall education level in other countries lags behind. If children are not able to complete primary or secondary education, illiteracy rates increase among the adult population. When it comes to achieving equitable access to quality education, the global society still faces considerable challenges.

Education in Europe
Education in China
Education in Ghana

Education Institutions and Market

Prestigious universities
Estimated number of universities worldwide as of July 2021, by country
Estimated number of universities worldwide as of July 2021, by country
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Some higher education institutions are more prestigious than others. The Ivy League - an elite group of eight private colleges in the northeast of the United States - can be said to represent such institutions. Harvard University perhaps bears the best reputation among these and is often deemed the best university in the world. Other rankings however, suggest that the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom is the best academic institution.

The Ivy League
University in the U.S.
Higher education in the U.S.

Science & Research

Global leaders in R&D
Leading countries by gross research and development (R&D) expenditure worldwide in 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Leading countries by gross research and development (R&D) expenditure worldwide in 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Further details: Visit original statistic

Science and research is prioritized differently all over the world, but on a global scale the total spending on research and development (R&D) has increased significantly over the past decades. On a national level, the United States and China invest the most resources into creating or improving products and services.

Research and development worldwide
Leading countries by R&D expenditure
R&D spending worldwide

Industry Definition

The education and science category offers data on educational systems as well as research and development worldwide and in specific countries. Within this sector, Statista provides information about education levels and skills, and on education institutions and markets. Additionally, data on education and science expenditure is provided.

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