Denmark vs Sweden: Lower secondary school starting age
Denmark
13 years
in 2025
Sweden
13 years
in 2025
Denmark rank
5th
Sweden rank
5th
Lower secondary school starting age over time
- Denmark
- Sweden
How they compare
Denmark currently reports 13 years against 13 years in Sweden, a difference of 0 years.
Across all 56 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
Denmark ranks 5th and Sweden ranks 5th of 209 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12 years | 13 years | 1 years | Sweden |
| 1980s | 12.9 years | 13 years | 0.1 years | Sweden |
| 1990s | 13 years | 13 years | 0 years | — |
| 2000s | 13 years | 13 years | 0 years | — |
| 2010s | 13 years | 13 years | 0 years | — |
| 2020s | 13 years | 13 years | 0 years | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher lower secondary school starting age, Denmark or Sweden?
- Denmark, at 13 years against 13 years in Sweden as of 2025.
- What is the difference in lower secondary school starting age between Denmark and Sweden?
- 0 years, with Denmark ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for lower secondary school starting age?
- Denmark ranks 5th and Sweden ranks 5th of 209 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Lower secondary school starting age (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Lower secondary school starting age is the age at which students would enter lower secondary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.