Which has higher average years of schooling, Italy or Romania?

Italy, at 11.51 years against 11.28 years in Romania as of 2020.

How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Romania?

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.

Italy vs Romania: Average years of schooling

Italy

11.51 years

in 2020

Romania

11.28 years

in 2020

Italy rank

31st

Romania rank

33rd

Average years of schooling over time

Italy
Romania

How they compare

Italy currently reports 11.51 years against 11.28 years in Romania, a difference of 0.23 years.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Italy ahead.

Italy ranks 31st and Romania ranks 33rd of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 9 and Romania in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Italy	Romania	Difference	Ahead
1870s	0.9 years	0.11 years	0.79 years	Italy
1880s	1.14 years	0.14 years	1 years	Italy
1890s	1.43 years	0.195 years	1.24 years	Italy
1900s	1.8 years	0.32 years	1.48 years	Italy
1910s	2.11 years	0.74 years	1.37 years	Italy
1920s	2.7 years	1.71 years	0.99 years	Italy
1930s	3.22 years	2.71 years	0.515 years	Italy
1940s	3.94 years	3.54 years	0.39 years	Italy
1950s	4.55 years	4.7 years	0.145 years	Romania
1960s	5.25 years	5.61 years	0.355 years	Romania
1970s	6.16 years	7.57 years	1.41 years	Romania
1980s	7.36 years	9.05 years	1.7 years	Romania
1990s	8.68 years	10.11 years	1.43 years	Romania
2000s	9.96 years	10.79 years	0.83 years	Romania
2010s	10.91 years	11.16 years	0.245 years	Romania
2020s	11.51 years	11.28 years	0.23 years	Italy

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Italy or Romania?: Italy, at 11.51 years against 11.28 years in Romania as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Italy and Romania?: 0.23 years, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Romania?: 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Italy and Romania rank globally for average years of schooling?: Italy ranks 31st and Romania ranks 33rd 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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Italy vs Romania: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/italy/romania/

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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.