France vs Norway: Share of the population with tertiary education

France
31.9%
in 2020
Norway
31.8%
in 2020
France rank
15th
Norway rank
16th

Share of the population with tertiary education over time

  • France
  • Norway
0102030187019452020

How they compare

France currently reports 31.9% against 31.8% in Norway, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Norway ahead.

France ranks 15th and Norway ranks 16th of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, France averaged higher in 3 and Norway in 13.

Head to head by decade

Decade France Norway Difference Ahead
1870s 0.2% 0.5% 0.3% Norway
1880s 0.3% 0.5% 0.2% Norway
1890s 0.3% 0.6% 0.3% Norway
1900s 0.3% 0.7% 0.4% Norway
1910s 0.6% 0.9% 0.4% Norway
1920s 0.8% 1.2% 0.4% Norway
1930s 1.1% 1.4% 0.2% Norway
1940s 1.6% 1.5% 0.1% France
1950s 1.9% 1.6% 0.2% France
1960s 2.8% 3.4% 0.5% Norway
1970s 6.6% 9.5% 2.9% Norway
1980s 10.6% 15.8% 5.3% Norway
1990s 14.8% 23.1% 8.3% Norway
2000s 21.9% 30.0% 8.1% Norway
2010s 29.4% 32.2% 2.8% Norway
2020s 31.9% 31.8% 0.1% France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population with tertiary education, France or Norway?
France, at 31.9% against 31.8% in Norway as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population with tertiary education between France and Norway?
0.1%, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Norway?
31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do France and Norway rank globally for share of the population with tertiary education?
France ranks 15th and Norway ranks 16th 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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France vs Norway: 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 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education/france/norway/

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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.