Statizoid

Switzerland vs United States of America: Average years of schooling

Switzerland
12.97 years
in 2020
United States of America
13.32 years
in 2020
Switzerland rank
6th
United States of America rank
4th

Average years of schooling over time

  • Switzerland
  • United States of America
468101214187019452020

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 13.32 years against 12.97 years in Switzerland, a difference of 0.35 years.

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

Switzerland ranks 6th and United States of America ranks 4th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Switzerland averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 15.

Head to head by decade

Decade Switzerland United States of America Difference Ahead
1870s 4.19 years 4.42 years 0.23 years United States of America
1880s 4.57 years 5.03 years 0.455 years United States of America
1890s 5.02 years 5.74 years 0.72 years United States of America
1900s 5.49 years 6.55 years 1.06 years United States of America
1910s 6.21 years 6.87 years 0.655 years United States of America
1920s 7.28 years 7.38 years 0.1 years United States of America
1930s 7.84 years 8.12 years 0.28 years United States of America
1940s 8.37 years 8.8 years 0.44 years United States of America
1950s 9.03 years 8.94 years 0.09 years Switzerland
1960s 9.33 years 10.03 years 0.695 years United States of America
1970s 10.23 years 11.41 years 1.19 years United States of America
1980s 11 years 12.31 years 1.32 years United States of America
1990s 10.47 years 12.69 years 2.22 years United States of America
2000s 10.48 years 13.05 years 2.57 years United States of America
2010s 12.93 years 13.27 years 0.33 years United States of America
2020s 12.97 years 13.32 years 0.35 years United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Switzerland or United States of America?
United States of America, at 13.32 years against 12.97 years in Switzerland as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Switzerland and United States of America?
0.35 years, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States of America?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Switzerland and United States of America rank globally for average years of schooling?
Switzerland ranks 6th and United States of America ranks 4th 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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Switzerland vs United States of America: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/switzerland/united-states/

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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

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