Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling was 13.49 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in United Kingdom, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 13.49 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 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in United Kingdom peaked at 13.49 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.64 years, in 1990.
United Kingdom ranks 9th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.07 years | 9.64 years | 10.58 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.87 years | 10.7 years | 13.09 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.12 years | 12.83 years | 13.34 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.47 years | 13.41 years | 13.49 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 281,128 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.55 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 102.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in United Kingdom?
- Average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling in United Kingdom was 13.49 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 13.49 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.64 years in 1990.
- How does United Kingdom rank for average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling vs. expected years of schooling rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.