Average years of schooling, males vs. females in Sweden
Sweden: Average years of schooling, males vs. females was 12.55 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling, males vs. females in Sweden, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 12.55 years for average years of schooling, males vs. females in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling, males vs. females in Sweden peaked at 12.55 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.58 years, in 1990.
That places Sweden 34th out of 191 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.
Average years of schooling, males vs. females in Sweden, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9.58 years | — |
| 1991 | 9.73 years | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 10 years | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 10.16 years | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 10.29 years | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 10.46 years | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 10.63 years | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 10.8 years | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 10.98 years | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 11.15 years | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 11.32 years | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 11.49 years | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 11.67 years | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 11.84 years | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 12.01 years | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 12.08 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 12.14 years | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 12.2 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 11.99 years | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 12.05 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 12.11 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 12.17 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 12.22 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 12.16 years | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 12.2 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 12.25 years | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 12.29 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 12.35 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 12.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 12.45 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 12.5 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 12.55 years | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 12.55 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12.55 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.38 years | 9.58 years | 11.15 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.88 years | 11.32 years | 12.2 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.26 years | 12.11 years | 12.45 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.54 years | 12.5 years | 12.55 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 433,407 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling, males vs. females in Sweden?
- Average years of schooling, males vs. females in Sweden was 12.55 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, males vs. females recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 12.55 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling, males vs. females recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.58 years in 1990.
- How does Sweden rank for average years of schooling, males vs. females?
- Sweden ranks 34th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling, males vs. females rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. 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, males vs. females. 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) men over 25 years participated in formal education.