Selection

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This table includes additional information to the above visualized indicators, i.e. a short definition of this indicator and a description of the politically determined target values as well as explaining the political intention behind selecting this indicator.

Definition (Text from the Indicator Report 2022 - State 31.10.2022)

The indicator specifies the proportion of 30 to 34-year-olds who hold a certificate from the tertiary education sector (levels 5 to 8 of the International Standard Classification of Education, ISCED, 2011) or a postsecondary non-tertiary certificate (level 4 of the ISCED).
Target and intention (Text from the Indicator Report 2022 - State 31.10.2022)

Developed economies like Germany’s, in which the service sector and the demand for knowledge and expertise are becoming increasingly important, requires highly qualified workers. According to the updated national sustainable development goals, 55 % of 30 to 34-year-olds are to possess a tertiary or other post-secondary qualification by 2030.
Definition

The indicator shows the proportion of 30 to 34-year-olds (in per cent) who have a tertiary-level qualification (levels 5 to 8 of the International Standard Classification of Education, ISCED 2011) or a post-secondary non-tertiary qualification (level 4 of ISCED).
Intention

A highly developed economy such as Germany’s, in which the service sector and the need for knowledge and expertise are increasingly coming to the fore, requires a highly qualified workforce.
Target

Increase the proportion to 55 per cent by 2030
Type of target

Goal with a specific target value
Implemen­tation in weather symbol calculation

The proportion of people with academic qualifications and higher vocational qualifications is to be increased to at least 55 per cent by 2030.


Based on the target formulation, the politically defined target has already been achieved ahead of schedule in 2023, meaning that indicator 4.1.b for 2023 is rated as “Sun”.
Assessment

Weathersymbol: Sun
Data state

15.01.2025

Text from the Indicator Report 2022 

The name of the indicator is linked to the tradition of the dual education system in Germany. In addition to tertiary degrees from universities, universities of applied sciences, colleges of public administration, vocational and specialised academies as well as master craftsmen’s and technicians’ certificates, there are post-secondary non-tertiary degrees at upper secondary level which are obtained in parallel or consecutively. These include, for example, the “Abitur” (higher education entrance qualification) at evening schools or at two-year full-time vocational schools, the completion of vocational training after the “Abitur” or a previous vocational training.

The “International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)” enables international comparisons of statistics and indicators regarding certificates of education. Certificates that are regarded as equivalent are assigned to the same ISCED levels. Therefore, the indicator includes both the tertiary degrees corresponding to levels 5 to 8 of the ISCED as well as the post-secondary non-tertiary degrees corresponding to level 4 of the ISCED.

The data for the indicator originate from the microcensus, whose annual sample survey covers 1 % of the population. The statistics of higher education provides supplementary information and is also compiled by the Federal Statistical Office.

Starting at 33.4 % in 1999, the indicator increased by 19.9 percentage points to 53.2 % in 2021. If the average growth rate of the last five reference years is maintained, the target value of 55 % could be achieved considerably earlier than 2030. The relation between the gender-specific percentages has changed over time. In 1999, the indicator for men was 3.8 percentage points higher than for women. In 2006, the values were the same for both sexes. Since 2007, the percentage of women with a tertiary or post-secondary non-tertiary qualification has been higher than that of men and exceeded the target value for 2030 already in year 2021 (57.2 %), while the proportion of men, which was 49.6 % in 2021, would reach the target a good bit later.

Many other countries do not offer post-secondary non-tertiary education programmes. Therefore, the European version of the indicator from the “Europe 2020” strategy is more narrowly defined and takes only tertiary degrees (ISCED levels 5-8) into account.

Following a steady increase since 2005, the European indicator reached a total of 41.6 % across the EU-27 states in 2021. If one also uses this more narrowly defined indicator for Germany, the value of 37.8 % obtained for 2021 was more than 3.8 percentage points below the EU value. Furthermore, in 2021, the proportion of women (38.6 %) was higher than that of men (37.0 %).

The number of university graduates in Germany totalled 517,944 in 2021. This was more than twice as many as in 1999. These included 129,488 engineering graduates (three times as much than in 1999) and 54,928 graduates of mathematics and the natural sciences (68.8 % more than in 1999).