TOP 10 Countries by STEM Graduates per 100,000 Population (2025)
How well is a country equipping its population with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills? Looking at total numbers of graduates is not enough. This ranking focuses on STEM graduates per 100,000 inhabitants, which highlights education systems that generate large STEM cohorts relative to their population size.
What is counted as a “STEM graduate” in this ranking?
The indicator uses tertiary education statistics from UNESCO, OECD and national sources. It counts graduates in scientific and technical fields, including:
- Natural sciences (physics, chemistry, earth and life sciences).
- Engineering, manufacturing and construction.
- Information and communication technologies (ICT, computer science).
- Mathematics and statistics.
These graduates are then expressed per 100,000 population, which controls for country size. A country with a small population but strong technical universities can therefore rank high even if its absolute number of graduates is modest.
Who tops the list of STEM graduates per 100,000 people?
Based on the latest UNESCO, OECD and World Bank data (around 2023–2024, projected to 2025), the highest densities of STEM graduates per 100,000 population are found in a mix of emerging technical hubs and advanced industrial economies.
An indicative Top 10 in this metric includes: Tunisia, Iran, Korea (Rep.), Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Türkiye, Russia and Spain. In all of them, the annual number of STEM graduates is equivalent to roughly 450–950 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Why does the density of STEM graduates matter for development?
Countries that consistently generate large STEM cohorts tend to have an easier time supporting:
- Industrial upgrading. Engineering and ICT skills underpin the move into higher value-added manufacturing and digital services.
- Green and digital transitions. STEM talent is crucial for renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transport, AI, cybersecurity and advanced analytics.
- Research capacity. A critical mass of STEM graduates feeds PhD programs, research labs and innovation ecosystems.
- Resilience to technological shocks. Workforces with strong technical foundations can adapt more quickly to new tools and production methods.
The next part presents the numerical ranking of STEM graduates per 100,000 people (Table 1) and the share of STEM in all tertiary graduates (Table 2), which shows how STEM-heavy each country’s graduation profile is.
Table 1. STEM graduates per 100,000 population, Top 10 countries, 2025
Approximate annual number of tertiary STEM graduates expressed per 100,000 inhabitants. Values combine UNESCO, OECD and national education statistics around 2023–2024 and are rounded to highlight the order of magnitude rather than precise levels.
| Rank | Country | STEM graduates per 100,000 population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunisia | ≈ 950 |
| 2 | Iran | ≈ 890 |
| 3 | Korea (Rep.) | ≈ 780 |
| 4 | Germany | ≈ 610 |
| 5 | France | ≈ 580 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | ≈ 560 |
| 7 | Poland | ≈ 540 |
| 8 | Türkiye | ≈ 520 |
| 9 | Russia | ≈ 510 |
| 10 | Spain | ≈ 480 |
Interpretation. Tunisia and Iran stand out with close to 900–950 STEM graduates per 100,000 people. Advanced OECD economies like Korea, Germany, France and the UK also show very dense STEM graduation, typically between 500 and 800 per 100,000 population.
Table 2. STEM graduates as a share of all tertiary graduates, selected countries, 2025
STEM graduates may be numerous simply because a country has a large tertiary system. This table shows the share of STEM fields in all tertiary graduates, highlighting how STEM-oriented the overall graduation profile is.
| Country | STEM graduates, % of all tertiary graduates | R&D expenditure, % of GDP (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | ≈ 40 | ≈ 0.6 |
| Iran | ≈ 38 | ≈ 0.8 |
| Korea (Rep.) | ≈ 34 | ≈ 4.7 |
| Germany | ≈ 30 | ≈ 3.1 |
| France | ≈ 29 | ≈ 2.3 |
| United Kingdom | ≈ 27 | ≈ 1.8 |
| Poland | ≈ 32 | ≈ 1.4 |
| Türkiye | ≈ 31 | ≈ 1.1 |
| Russia | ≈ 35 | ≈ 1.0 |
| Spain | ≈ 25 | ≈ 1.4 |
Three patterns emerge. First, several emerging economies (Tunisia, Iran, Türkiye, Russia) show a very STEM-heavy graduation mix but comparatively modest R&D spending. Second, advanced economies like Korea and Germany combine solid STEM shares with high R&D intensity — a strong basis for innovation. Third, countries like Spain have a more diversified graduation profile and medium levels of R&D investment.
Chart 1. STEM graduates per 100,000 population, Top 10 countries, 2025
The bar chart below visualises the ranking from Table 1. It shows how emerging STEM powerhouses like Tunisia and Iran sit alongside advanced industrial economies such as Korea, Germany and France, all of which produce large numbers of STEM graduates relative to their population size.
Reading tip. A difference of 200–300 graduates per 100,000 population translates into tens of thousands of additional STEM graduates each year in mid-sized countries — a sizeable boost to the technical skills pipeline.
Chart 2. STEM graduates as % of all graduates vs R&D expenditure, selected countries
This scatter chart plots each country by two dimensions: STEM graduates as a share of all tertiary graduates (horizontal axis) and R&D expenditure as a share of GDP (vertical axis).
Countries in the top-right quadrant (for example Korea, Germany) combine strong R&D spending with a substantial STEM graduation share — a classic innovation model. Countries in the bottom-right quadrant (such as Tunisia, Iran, Russia) produce many STEM graduates but invest relatively little in R&D, which can lead to underutilised talent or outward migration.
Policy angle. Ideally, an expansion of STEM programmes should be matched by R&D incentives, support for start-ups and high-tech industries, so that graduates can apply their skills in research, engineering and innovation roles domestically.
Data sources and methodology
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), education statistics by field of study , series on tertiary graduates in STEM fields by country and population.
- OECD, OECD Education and R&D databases , indicators on graduates by field of education and gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) as a percentage of GDP.
- World Bank, R&D expenditure (% of GDP) , and population series used to convert STEM graduates into values per 100,000 inhabitants.
- National education ministries and statistical offices (for example Tunisia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Iran’s Ministry of Science, Korea’s Ministry of Education, and Eurostat-based statistics for EU members) for recent updates around 2023–2024.
- Methodological notes from UNESCO and OECD on the definition of STEM fields and harmonisation of tertiary graduation data, which ensure comparability across different education systems.
