United Kingdom vs United States: Average years of schooling
United Kingdom
13.41 years
in 2020
United States
13.68 years
in 2020
United Kingdom rank
8th
United States rank
5th
Average years of schooling over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 13.68 years against 13.41 years in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.27 years.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1870 it was United States ahead.
United Kingdom ranks 8th and United States ranks 5th of 162 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 15 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3.59 years | 5.57 years | 1.98 years | United States |
| 1880s | 4.37 years | 6.02 years | 1.65 years | United States |
| 1890s | 4.84 years | 6.6 years | 1.76 years | United States |
| 1900s | 5.33 years | 7.09 years | 1.76 years | United States |
| 1910s | 5.86 years | 7.46 years | 1.6 years | United States |
| 1920s | 6.58 years | 8.33 years | 1.75 years | United States |
| 1930s | 7.1 years | 8.76 years | 1.66 years | United States |
| 1950s | 8.04 years | 9.76 years | 1.73 years | United States |
| 1960s | 9.25 years | 10.52 years | 1.27 years | United States |
| 1970s | 10.47 years | 11.31 years | 0.8327 years | United States |
| 1980s | 11.67 years | 12.11 years | 0.4454 years | United States |
| 1990s | 12.45 years | 12.89 years | 0.4406 years | United States |
| 2000s | 13.13 years | 13.13 years | 0.0067 years | United States |
| 2010s | 13.29 years | 13.41 years | 0.1219 years | United States |
| 2020s | 13.41 years | 13.68 years | 0.2773 years | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average years of schooling, United Kingdom or United States?
- United States, at 13.68 years against 13.41 years in United Kingdom as of 2020.
- What is the difference in average years of schooling between United Kingdom and United States?
- 0.27 years, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for average years of schooling?
- United Kingdom ranks 8th and United States ranks 5th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) β 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.