Sweden vs United States: Proportion of children/young people at the age of primary education
Sweden
95.2%
in 2021
United States
94.4%
in 2021
Sweden rank
6th
United States rank
7th
Proportion of children/young people at the age of primary education over time
- Sweden
- United States
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 95.2% against 94.4% in United States, a difference of 0.8%.
Across all 5 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
Sweden ranks 6th and United States ranks 7th of 13 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sweden | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 98.3% | 94.4% | 3.8% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 97.8% | 96.5% | 1.2% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 95.2% | 94.4% | 0.8% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of children/young people at the age of primary education, Sweden or United States?
- Sweden, at 95.2% against 94.4% in United States as of 2021.
- What is the difference in proportion of children/young people at the age of primary education between Sweden and United States?
- 0.8%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United States?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2021.
- How do Sweden and United States rank globally for proportion of children/young people at the age of primary education?
- Sweden ranks 6th and United States ranks 7th of 13 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Proportion of children/young people at the age of primary education prepared for the future in reading, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release