Sorry guys, Facts are Facts...BITCHSLAPPED!



In the past 50 years, college graduation rates in developed countries have

increased nearly 200%, according to Education at a Glance 2011, a

recently published report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation

and Development (OECD). The report shows that while education has

improved across the board, it has not improved evenly, with some

countries enjoying much greater rates of educational attainment than

others. Based on the report, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 developed

countries with the most educated populations.



The countries with

the most highly educated citizens are also some of the wealthiest in the

world. The United States, Japan and Canada are on our list and also

have among the largest GDPs. Norway and Australia, also featured, have

the second and sixth-highest GDPs per capita, respectively. All these

countries aggressively invest in education.



The countries that

invest the most in education have the most-educated people. All of the

best-educated countries, except for the UK, fall within the top 15 OECD

countries for greatest spending on tertiary — that is, college or

college-equivalent — spending as a percentage of GDP. The U.S. spends

the second most and Canada spends the fourth most.



Interestingly,

public expenditure on educational institutions relative to private

spending by these countries is small compared with other countries in

the OECD. While the majority of education is still funded with public

money, eight of the countries on our list rely the least on public

funding as a percentage of total education spending.





The countries included here have had educated populations for a long time.

While they have steadily increased the percentages of their populations

with postsecondary educations, the increases are modest compared to

developing countries. The U.S., Canada and Japan have had tertiary

educational attainment above 30% since at least 1997. Poland, a recently

developed country that is not on our list, had a tertiary educational

rate of 10% in 1997. As of 2009, that rate had grown to 21%.



These are the 10 most educated countries in the world.



10. Finland

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 1.8% (3rd lowest)

> GDP per capita: $36,585 (14th highest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 3.15% (10th lowest)



Finland

is a small country relative to the other OECD members. The share of its

adult population with some sort of postsecondary education, however, is

rather large. This select group is reaching the end of its expansion.

From 1999 to 2009, the number of college-educated adults increased only

1.8% annually — the third-smallest amount among all OECD countries.

Finland is also one of only two countries, the other being Korea, in

which the fields of social sciences, business and law are not the most

popular among students. In Finland, new entrants are most likely to

study engineering, manufacturing and construction.



9. Australia

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 3.3% (11th lowest)

> GDP per capita: $40,719 (6th highest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 14.63% (3rd highest)



Australia’s

population grew 14.63% between 2000 and 2009. This is the third-largest

increase among OECD countries. Its tertiary-educated adult population

is increasing at the much less impressive annual rate of 3.3%. Australia

also spends the sixth-least amount in public funds on education as a

percentage of all expenditures. The country also draws large numbers of

international students.



[More from 24/7 Wall St.: Ten Cities Crushed by the Global Recession]



8. United Kingdom

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 4.0% (9th highest)

> GDP per capita: $35,504 (16th highest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 3.47% (13th lowest)



Unlike

most of the countries with the highest percentage of educated adults,

the UK’s educated group increased measurably — more than 4% between 1999

and 2009. Its entire population only grew 3.5% between 2000 and 2009.

One aspect that the UK does share with a number of other countries on

this list is relatively low public expenditure on education institutions

as a percentage of all educational spending. As of 2008, 69.5% of

spending came from public sources — the fourth-smallest amount among

OECD countries.



7. Norway

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): N/A

> GDP per capita: $56,617 (2nd highest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 7.52% (14th highest)



Norway

has the third-greatest expenditure on educational institutions as a

percentage of GDP, at 7.3%. Roughly 23% of that is spent on tertiary

education. In Norway, more than 60% of all tertiary graduates were in a

bachelor’s program, well more than the U.S., which is close to the OECD

average of 45%. The country is one of the wealthiest in the world. GDP

per capita is $56,617, second only to Luxembourg in the OECD.



6. South Korea

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 39%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 5.3% (5th highest)

> GDP per capita: $29,101 (13th lowest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 3.70% (14th lowest)



[More from 24/7 Wall St.: The Worst Product Flops of 2011]



Korea

is another standout country for its recent increase in the percentage

of its population that has a tertiary education. Graduates increased

5.3% between 1999 and 2009, the fifth-highest among OECD countries. Like

the UK, this rate is greater than the country’s recent population

growth. Korea is also one of only two countries — the other being

Finland — in which the most popular fields of study are not social

sciences, business and law. In Korea, new students choose to study

education, humanities and arts at the greatest rates. Only 59.6% of

expenditures on educational institutions come from public funds — the

second-lowest rate.



5. New Zealand

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 40%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 3.5% (14th lowest)

> GDP per capita: $29,871 (14th lowest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 11.88% (8th largest)



New

Zealand is not a particularly wealthy country. GDP per capita is less

than $30,000, and is the 14th lowest in the OECD. However, 40% of the

population engages in tertiary education, the fifth-highest rate in the

world. The country actually has a rapidly growing population, increasing

11.88% between 2000 and 2009. This was the eighth-largest increase in

the OECD. Part of the reason for the high rate of tertiary graduates is

the high output from secondary schools. More than 90% of residents

graduate from secondary school.



4. United States

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 41%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 1.4% (the lowest)

> GDP per capita: $46,588 (4th highest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 8.68% (12th highest)



The

U.S. experienced a fairly large growth in population from 2000 to 2009.

During the period, the population increased 8.68% — the 12th highest

among OECD countries. Meanwhile, the rate at which the share of the

population with a tertiary education is growing has slowed to an annual

rate of 1.4% — the lowest among the 34 OECD countries. Just 71% of

funding for educational institutions in the country comes from public

funds, placing the U.S. sixth-lowest in this measure. Among OECD

countries, the largest share of adults with a tertiary education live in

the United States — 25.8%.



3. Japan

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 44%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 3.2% (10th lowest)

> GDP per capita: $33,751 (17th lowest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 0.46% (6th lowest)



In

Japan, 44% of the adult population has some form of tertiary education.

The U.S. by comparison has a rate of 41%. Japan’s population increased

just 0.46% between 2000 and 2009, the sixth-slowest growth rate in the

OECD, and the slowest among our list of 10. Japan is tied with Finland

for the third-highest upper-secondary graduation rate in the world, at

95%. It has the third-highest tertiary graduation rate in the world, but

only spends the equivalent of 1.5% of GDP on tertiary education — the

17th lowest rate in the OECD.



[Also see: College Majors that are Popular]



2. Israel

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 45%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): N/A

> GDP per capita: $28,596 (12th lowest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 19.02% (the highest)



Although

there is no data on the percentage of Israeli citizens with

postsecondary education dating back to 1999, the numbers going back to

2002 show that growth is slowing dramatically compared to other

countries. In fact, in 2006, 46% of adults ages 25 to 64 had a tertiary

education. In 2007 this number fell to 44%. Only 78% of funds spent on

educational institutions in Israel are public funds. The country is also

only one of three — the other two being Ireland and Sweden — where

expenditure on educational institutions as a proportion of GDP decreased

from 2000 to 2008. Israel also had the largest increase in overall

population, approximately 19% from 2000 to 2009.



1. Canada

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 50%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 2.3% (5th lowest)

> GDP per capita: $39,070 (10th highest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 9.89% (10th highest)



In

Canada, 50% of the adult population has completed tertiary education,

easily the highest rate in the OECD. Each year, public and private

expenditure on education amount to 2.5% of GDP, the fourth-highest rate

in the world. Tertiary education spending accounts for 41% of total

education spending in the country. In the U.S., the proportion is closer

to 37%. In Israel, the rate is 22%. In Canada, nearly 25% of students

have an immigrant background.