Which has higher average years of schooling, Germany or Switzerland?

Germany, at 14.09 years against 13.86 years in Switzerland as of 2020.

What is the difference in average years of schooling between Germany and Switzerland?

0.23 years, with Germany ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Switzerland?

24 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor 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.

Germany vs Switzerland: Average years of schooling

Germany

14.09 years

in 2020

Switzerland

13.86 years

in 2020

Germany rank

1st

Switzerland rank

2nd

Average years of schooling over time

Germany
Switzerland

How they compare

Germany currently reports 14.09 years against 13.86 years in Switzerland, a difference of 0.23 years.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Switzerland ahead.

Germany ranks 1st and Switzerland ranks 2nd of 162 countries.

Across the 15 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 6 and Switzerland in 9.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Germany	Switzerland	Difference	Ahead
1870s	5.44 years	6.07 years	0.63 years	Switzerland
1880s	5.7 years	6.59 years	0.89 years	Switzerland
1890s	6.1 years	6.91 years	0.81 years	Switzerland
1900s	6.47 years	7.29 years	0.82 years	Switzerland
1910s	6.99 years	7.55 years	0.56 years	Switzerland
1920s	7.55 years	8.17 years	0.6195 years	Switzerland
1930s	8.12 years	8.7 years	0.5775 years	Switzerland
1950s	8.79 years	9.53 years	0.7425 years	Switzerland
1960s	10.05 years	10.37 years	0.3168 years	Switzerland
1970s	11.41 years	11.4 years	0.0099 years	Germany
1980s	12.52 years	12.31 years	0.2117 years	Germany
1990s	13.06 years	12.72 years	0.3373 years	Germany
2000s	12.91 years	12.67 years	0.2444 years	Germany
2010s	13.08 years	13.04 years	0.0438 years	Germany
2020s	14.09 years	13.86 years	0.2313 years	Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Germany or Switzerland?: Germany, at 14.09 years against 13.86 years in Switzerland as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Germany and Switzerland?: 0.23 years, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Switzerland?: 24 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Germany and Switzerland rank globally for average years of schooling?: Germany ranks 1st and Switzerland ranks 2nd of 162 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor 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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Germany vs Switzerland: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/years-of-schooling-prados-de-la-escosura/germany/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator: Average years of schooling
Unit: years
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 163 places, 3,421 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.