Which has higher average years of schooling, Iceland or Switzerland?

Iceland, at 13.53 years against 12.97 years in Switzerland as of 2020.

What is the difference in average years of schooling between Iceland and Switzerland?

0.56 years, with Iceland ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Switzerland?

31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Iceland vs Switzerland: Average years of schooling

Iceland

13.53 years

in 2020

Switzerland

12.97 years

in 2020

Iceland rank

3rd

Switzerland rank

6th

Average years of schooling over time

Iceland
Switzerland

How they compare

Iceland currently reports 13.53 years against 12.97 years in Switzerland, a difference of 0.56 years.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Switzerland ahead.

Iceland ranks 3rd and Switzerland ranks 6th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 2 and Switzerland in 14.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iceland	Switzerland	Difference	Ahead
1870s	0.88 years	4.19 years	3.31 years	Switzerland
1880s	1.06 years	4.57 years	3.51 years	Switzerland
1890s	1.28 years	5.02 years	3.74 years	Switzerland
1900s	1.73 years	5.49 years	3.76 years	Switzerland
1910s	2.65 years	6.21 years	3.56 years	Switzerland
1920s	3.18 years	7.28 years	4.1 years	Switzerland
1930s	4.01 years	7.84 years	3.83 years	Switzerland
1940s	4.95 years	8.37 years	3.42 years	Switzerland
1950s	5.89 years	9.03 years	3.14 years	Switzerland
1960s	6.51 years	9.33 years	2.82 years	Switzerland
1970s	7.47 years	10.23 years	2.75 years	Switzerland
1980s	8.46 years	11 years	2.54 years	Switzerland
1990s	9.46 years	10.47 years	1.01 years	Switzerland
2000s	10.5 years	10.48 years	0.02 years	Iceland
2010s	12.23 years	12.93 years	0.7 years	Switzerland
2020s	13.53 years	12.97 years	0.56 years	Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Iceland or Switzerland?: Iceland, at 13.53 years against 12.97 years in Switzerland as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Iceland and Switzerland?: 0.56 years, with Iceland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Switzerland?: 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Iceland and Switzerland rank globally for average years of schooling?: Iceland ranks 3rd and Switzerland ranks 6th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Iceland vs Switzerland: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/iceland/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator: Average years of schooling
Unit: years
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.