Germany vs Switzerland: Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher
Germany
42.4%
in 2023
Switzerland
41.6%
in 2024
Germany rank
26th
Switzerland rank
27th
Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher over time
- Germany
- Switzerland
How they compare
Germany currently reports 42.4% against 41.6% in Switzerland, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 14 shared years of data; in 2009 it was Switzerland ahead.
Germany ranks 26th and Switzerland ranks 27th of 110 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 1 and Switzerland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.8% | 33.7% | 3.8% | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 34.1% | 37.0% | 2.9% | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 40.6% | 40.4% | 0.2% | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population with post-secondary education or higher, Germany or Switzerland?
- Germany, at 42.4% against 41.6% in Switzerland as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of the population with post-secondary education or higher between Germany and Switzerland?
- 0.8%, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Switzerland?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2009 to 2023.
- How do Germany and Switzerland rank globally for share of the population with post-secondary education or higher?
- Germany ranks 26th and Switzerland ranks 27th of 110 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed post-secondary or tertiary education.