Seán Kelly· PPE

Confirmed

For each additional year of education, a person's lifetime earnings increase by 10%.

Omissions

• The 10% figure represents a global average that masks significant variation by country, region, gender, and education level
• More recent World Bank reviews cite the figure as approximately 9% rather than exactly 10%
• Returns vary significantly between developed and developing countries
• The data represents long-term averages over decades rather than a specific recent year

Sources

• PrimaryWorld Bank Open Knowledge Repository - Returns to Investment in EducationThe private average global rate of return to one extra year of schooling is about 9 percent a year and very stable over decades
• PrimaryWorld Bank Documents & Reports - Returns to Investment in EducationOverall, the average rate of return to another year of schooling is 10 percent
• SecondaryWorld Bank Education Blog - 50 years after landmark study, returns to education remain strongEducation brings a return of about 9-10%. Every year of learning generates about a 10% increase in earnings annually
• SecondaryWorld Bank Education Blog - Education leads to Higher EarningsThe overall rate of return to another year of schooling for women is 12 percent and 10 percent for men