On average, 70% of young adults with at least one tertiary-educated parent earn a tertiary degree themselves. But among those whose parents did not complete upper secondary education, only 26% of their children do so. Despite this gap, some countries are breaking the link between socio-economic background and educational success.

The 2025 edition places a special focus on tertiary education, examining attainment rates, variations in labour market outcomes by field of study, completion rates, and the skills of adults with tertiary qualifications. An additional chapter provides results from the Survey of Adult Skills 2023 (PIAAC) and links them to other indicators in the publication.