Half of English Now Pursue a Higher Education

Then prime minister Tony Blair set a goal in 1999 that 50 percent of young people in England go on to get a higher education -- and the country has now hit that symbolic goal, the BBC reported. The goal for postsecondary attainment is similar to those that have been set by many American states and President Obama in the last decade or so. While 50.2 percent of England's young people now go on to attend a university or some kind of post-high school training, up from 25 percent in 1990, divides are evident. The figures are 57 percent for women and 44.1 percent for men.