Denmark vs Finland: Average years of schooling among adults

Denmark
13.03 years
in 2023
Finland
12.98 years
in 2023
Denmark rank
15th
Finland rank
17th

Average years of schooling among adults over time

  • Denmark
  • Finland
051015199020062023

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 13.03 years against 12.98 years in Finland, a difference of 0.05 years.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Denmark ahead.

Denmark ranks 15th and Finland ranks 17th of 192 countries.

Denmark has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Denmark Finland Difference Ahead
1990s 11.75 years 10.19 years 1.56 years Denmark
2000s 12.74 years 12.05 years 0.6838 years Denmark
2010s 12.73 years 12.62 years 0.107 years Denmark
2020s 13.01 years 12.97 years 0.0446 years Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling among adults, Denmark or Finland?
Denmark, at 13.03 years against 12.98 years in Finland as of 2023.
What is the difference in average years of schooling among adults between Denmark and Finland?
0.05 years, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Finland?
34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do Denmark and Finland rank globally for average years of schooling among adults?
Denmark ranks 15th and Finland ranks 17th of 192 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling among adults
Unit
years
Source
UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
192 places, 6,079 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.