Denmark vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of the population with tertiary education

Denmark
30.8%
in 2020
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
31.1%
in 2020
Denmark rank
22nd
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
20th

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • Denmark
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
0102030187019452020

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 31.1% against 30.8% in Denmark, a difference of 0.3%.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

Denmark ranks 22nd and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 20th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 8 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade Denmark United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1870s 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1880s 0.1% 0.3% 0.2% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1890s 0.1% 0.5% 0.3% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1900s 0.1% 0.5% 0.4% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1910s 0.2% 0.8% 0.6% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1920s 0.2% 1.1% 0.9% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1930s 0.8% 1.2% 0.5% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1940s 2.3% 1.4% 0.8% Denmark
1950s 4.5% 1.6% 2.9% Denmark
1960s 7.2% 3.2% 4.0% Denmark
1970s 10.9% 9.5% 1.4% Denmark
1980s 16.8% 11.6% 5.2% Denmark
1990s 22.2% 18.8% 3.4% Denmark
2000s 26.2% 25.7% 0.5% Denmark
2010s 31.7% 30.5% 1.2% Denmark
2020s 30.8% 31.1% 0.3% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, Denmark or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 31.1% against 30.8% in Denmark as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between Denmark and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
0.3%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Denmark and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
Denmark ranks 22nd and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 20th 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 Share of the population with tertiary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Denmark vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of the population with tertiary education. 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/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/denmark/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population with tertiary education
Unit
%
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

Percentage of the population aged 25 to 65 years who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education.