A legmagasabb iskolai végzettség néhány térbeli aspektusa Magyarországon

This paper synthesizes spatial statistical findings on the distribution of highest educational attainment in Hungary, drawing on settlement-level data from the 2022 census. While national trends indicate a general expansion of educational attainment — particularly at the tertiary level — the analysis reveals that this progress has not translated into reduced regional disparities. Higher education remains spatially concentrated in urban centers and university towns, while peripheral and rural areas continue to exhibit persistently lower attainment levels. Using local spatial autocorrelation measures (LISA), the study identifies stable high-high and low-low clusters that reproduce across multiple spatial scales (settlement, district, county, region). The paper argues that educational expansion functions as a spatially differentiated process, shaped by center–periphery dynamics, the uneven distribution of higher education institutions, and graduate migration patterns. These findings suggest that quantitative expansion alone is insufficient to reduce opportunity gaps; effective education policy requires place-sensitive, territorially targeted interventions addressing access barriers, institutional capacity imbalances, and human capital retention in disadvantaged areas.