Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends for 2025

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Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996, and are also known as Generation Y. The term was first used in the 1991 book “Generations” by William Strauss and Neil Howe, who named the generation after it being the first to come of age in the new millennium.

In 2025 Millennials are all adults now. What is their education level? Are Millennials more or less intelligent than members of other generations? How about their IQ?

Are Millennials smart? And are they smarter than other generations?

Find out in my updated Millennials IQ and education statistics and facts guide for 2025.

You can use this jump link to quickly jump to the KEY STATS section.

Also, all the references and resources I used in crafting my guide are listed at the bottom of the page.

Jump here: Key Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends for this Year| Detailed Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends for this Year

Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends for 2025

Table of Contents

Key Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends for this Year

Key Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends for 2025

39% of Millennials hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, making them the most educated generation in U.S. history. (Source)
Women account for about 60% of Millennial college graduates. And men make up the remaining 40%. (Source)
Around 65% of Millennials globally have attended some college. (Source)
Approximately 12.8% of Millennials hold advanced degrees (Master’s, PhD, etc.) (Source)
The college enrollment rate for Millennials is 40% higher than Generation X at the same age. At the same time, college enrolment rate for Millennials is 3% lower than enrollment rate for Get Z’s. (Source)
The average Millennial student loan debt is approximately $38,877. (Source)
About 14.8 million Millennials carry student loan debt. (Source)
Roughly 63% of Millennial college graduates have over $10,000 in student debt. (Source)
One in five Millennials with student loans is behind on payments. (Source)
Student loan debt among Millennials is 300% higher than their parents’ generation at the same age. (Source)
Millennials score higher on IQ tests than previous generations by 2-3 points on average. (Source)
They show stronger performance in pattern recognition and abstract thinking tests. (Source)
About 77% of Millennials report using online resources to supplement their education. (Source)
Millennials spend an average of 320 hours per year on self-directed learning and they have higher scores in technological literacy compared to previous generations. (Source)
85% of Millennials access educational content through their smartphones. (Source)
89% of Millennials value continuous learning in their careers. (Source)
They are 40% more likely to have multiple certifications compared to Gen X. (Source)
73% of Millennials have taken online courses for professional development. (Source)
About 54% of Millennials are multilingual or studying a second language. (Source)
U.S. Millennials rank 16th out of 24 developed nations in literacy. Тhey rank 21st in numeracy among developed nations. (Source)
Asian Millennials outperform their Western counterparts in STEM subjects by an average of 12%. (Source)
European Millennials are 23% more likely to speak multiple languages than American Millennials. (Source)
Canadian Millennials have a 5% higher college completion rate than U.S. Millennials. (Source)
European Millennials from the entire continent record a 7.5% higher college completion rates than their US Millennial counterpart. (Source)
College-educated Millennials earn about 38% more than those without degrees. (Source)
The wealth gap between college-educated and non-college-educated Millennials is 71% larger than previous generations. (Source)
76% of Millennials believe their education was worth the cost despite debt. (Source)
Millennials with graduate degrees earn 73% more than those with high school diplomas. (Source)
About 43% of Millennials work in jobs that don’t require their level of education. (Source)

Detailed Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends for this Year

What Percentage Of Millennials Have Earned a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher?

39% of Millennials hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, making them the most educated generation in U.S. history. Approximately 12.8% of Millennials hold advanced degrees (Master’s, PhD, etc.).

Even after finishing their education learning is never done for Millennials. In a recent study (I link to it in the reference section of this stats guide) 89% of Millennials claimed they value continuous learning and upskilling in their careers. These Millennials also said they spend an average of 320 hours per year on self-directed learning that falls outside of their constant knowledge acquisition for their jobs.

It’s hobby learning at it’s finest for these Millennials.

What are the Stats on Millennials College Attendance?

Here are the stats I found and distilled through research on Millennials and they higher education.

Around 65% of Millennials globally have attended some college, even if they didn’t graduate. Women account for about 60% of Millennial college graduates (and men make up the remaining 40%).

The college enrollment rate for Millennials is 40% higher than the college enrollment rate for Generation X at the same age. At the same time, college enrolment rate for Millennials is 3% lower than enrollment rate for Get Z’s.

Canadian Millennials have a 5% higher college completion rate than U.S. Millennials. European Millennials from the entire continent record a 7.5% higher college completion rates than their US Millennial counterpart.

What is the Average Student Loan Debt for Millennials?

The average Millennial student loan debt is approximately $38,877 with roughly 63% of Millennial college graduates having over $10,000 in student debt.

Student loan debt among Millennials is 300% higher than their parents’ generation at the same age, and about 14.8 million Millennials carry student loan debt. Data shows that one in five Millennials with student loans is behind on payments, and 30% of them in a survey admitted they don’t know how they’re going to pay off that debt given the current economic situation.

That said, the same survey showed that 76% of Millennials believe their education was worth the cost, despite the debt they incurred.

As for earing potential with and without diplomas, Millennials with graduate degrees earn 73% more than those with high school diplomas. Although roughly 43% of Millennials globally work in jobs that don’t require their level of education.

Final interesting stat is that the wealth gap between college-educated and non-college-educated Millennials is 71% larger than previous generations.

How do Millennials Compare to Previous Generations in IQ Testing?

Millennials score higher on IQ tests than previous generations by 2-3 points on average and they particularly excel at pattern recognition and abstract thinking tests. Their generation is further proof that Flynn effect is real and applicable to human species across multiple generations.

Note: further proof of Flynn effect is that Gen Z, the immediate generation after Millennials test higher than Millennials on most types of IQ tests. The verdict for Gen Alpha’s intelligence is still out given that this generation is too young for reliable testing.

Are Millennials Technologically Literate?

Millennials are a technologically literate generation.

They grew up alongside the rise of the internet and readily adopted new technologies, making them comfortable navigating various digital platforms and tools.

Probably the biggest use case of technological gizmos and gadget is for learning.

A recent survey showed that 85% of Millennials access educational content through their iPhones and smartphones and as you’ve seen higher up in my stats guide, Millennials as a generation are constantly learning and education themselves.

How Many Millennials are Multilingual or Learning Another Language?

About 54% of Millennials are multilingual or studying a second language. European Millennials are 23% more likely to speak multiple languages than American Millennials. Asian and African Millennials also in general speak more languages than American millennials due to the diverse linguistic landscape of Asia and Africa.

Basically, polyglotism is considered a norm in countries where many different languages are co-official and regularly spoken in society.

American Millennials in daily life really only hear English with potentially little bit of Spanish, especially in southern states.

Millennials IQ and Education Statistics, Facts and Trends Guide for 2025 (FAQ)

Are Millennials More Educated than Gen Z? Are They the Most Educated Generation to Date?

Yes, Millennials are the most educated generation in human history to date.

Around 65% of Millennials globally have attended some college. 39% of Millennials hold a bachelor’s degree and approximately 12.8% of Millennials hold advanced degrees (Master’s, PhD, etc.).

That said, time is not working in Millennials’ favor. Gen Z’s are catching up fast and it’s projected that in the next couple of years Gen Z will become the most educated generation in history.

Gen Z are going to become the most educated generation in the next few years- source

What is the Dominant Learning Style of Millennials?

The dominant learning style of millennials is collaborative and social learning. This means they prefer to learn in groups through interaction with their peers, and by engaging in activities that involve teamwork, technology and interactive and gamified learning.

Millennials are also visual learners given they’re extremely comfortable with devices that display information to them visually.

This means a typical Millennial would always pick an e-book over physical paperback copy, and if the e-book is replete with interesting images, all the better.

Millennials are not good intrapersonal/solitary learners simply because this learning style is the opposite of social/interpersonal one.

Millennials are poorer or average kinesthetic learners given that they’re the first generation who spent most of their childhood in from of devices instead of playing outside.

In Which Type of Intelligence Do Millennials Excel in?

Millennials excel in both social intelligence and visual-spatial intelligence. This is to be expected given that member of this generation are predominantly social learners who also prefer the visual learning style over any other.

Millennials score average in other types of intelligence, namely body-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, musical, emotional, verbal-linguistic and intrapersonal.

Millennials are very emotionally intelligent- source

Are Millennials Smarter than Gen Z?

Millennials are not smarter than Gen Z’s. Gen Z’s score couple of points higher on multiple relevant IQ tests compared to Millennials.