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Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Sweden

Sweden: Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling was 12.74 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
12.74 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
24th
of 192 countries
All-time high
12.74 years
in 2021
All-time low
9.55 years
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Sweden, 1990–2023

0510151990200620231990: 9.6 years1991: 9.7 years1992: 10 years1993: 10.2 years1994: 10.4 years1995: 10.5 years1996: 10.7 years1997: 10.9 years1998: 11.1 years1999: 11.3 years2000: 11.4 years2001: 11.6 years2002: 11.8 years2003: 12 years2004: 12.2 years2005: 12.3 years2006: 12.3 years2007: 12.4 years2008: 12.1 years2009: 12.1 years2010: 12.2 years2011: 12.3 years2012: 12.3 years2013: 12.2 years2014: 12.3 years2015: 12.3 years2016: 12.4 years2017: 12.5 years2018: 12.6 years2019: 12.6 years2020: 12.7 years2021: 12.7 years2022: 12.7 years2023: 12.7 years

Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Sweden recorded 12.74 years for average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

The figure is up 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Sweden peaked at 12.74 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.55 years, in 1990.

That places Sweden 24th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 10.43 years 9.55 years 11.26 years 10
2000s 12.03 years 11.45 years 12.4 years 10
2010s 12.38 years 12.21 years 12.61 years 10
2020s 12.72 years 12.68 years 12.74 years 4

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 21 Australia 12.87 years compare
  2. 22 Bahamas 12.81 years compare
  3. 23 Montenegro 12.77 years compare
  4. 25 South Korea 12.72 years compare
  5. 26 Georgia 12.7 years compare
  6. 27 Belgium 12.69 years compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More education data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Sweden?
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in Sweden was 12.74 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 12.74 years in 2021.
What is the lowest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 9.55 years in 1990.
How does Sweden rank for average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling?
Sweden ranks 24th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
Is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden data come from?
The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling
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.