Statizoid

Average years of schooling vs. GDP per capita by country

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

Countries reporting
188
Highest
14.3 years
Germany
Lowest
1.41 years
Niger
Median
9.82 years
Years covered
34
1990–2023
Data points
6,079

What the numbers show

Average years of schooling vs. GDP per capita is currently reported for 188 countries. The highest value is 14.3 years in Germany; the lowest is 1.41 years in Niger.

The median across all reporting countries is 9.82 years, and the mean is 9.15 years.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 10.

Over the past decade 171 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Bhutan (up 125.5%), and the largest decrease in Mali (down 15.3%).

Average years of schooling vs. GDP per capita: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Germany 14.3 years 2023 up 2.0% rising
2 Switzerland 13.95 years 2023 up 3.1% rising
3 United States 13.91 years 2023 up 5.4% rising
4 Iceland 13.91 years 2023 up 5.5% rising
5 Canada 13.87 years 2023 up 1.8% rising
6 Lithuania 13.61 years 2023 up 8.1% rising
7 Estonia 13.56 years 2023 up 0.2% rising
8 Israel 13.53 years 2023 up 5.7% rising
9 United Kingdom 13.49 years 2023 up 5.1% rising
10 Latvia 13.41 years 2023 up 4.7% rising
11 Palau 13.3 years 2023 up 3.7% rising
12 Poland 13.21 years 2023 up 3.4% rising
13 Norway 13.12 years 2023 up 3.5% rising
14 Slovakia 13.1 years 2023 up 5.3% rising
15 Denmark 13.03 years 2023 up 2.2% rising
16 United Arab Emirates 12.99 years 2023 up 25.7% rising
17 Finland 12.98 years 2023 up 3.4% rising
18 Czechia 12.96 years 2023 up 2.9% rising
19 Slovenia 12.95 years 2023 up 4.6% rising
20 New Zealand 12.88 years 2023 down 3.4% rising
21 Australia 12.87 years 2023 up 7.1% rising
22 Bahamas 12.81 years 2023 up 5.8% rising
23 Montenegro 12.77 years 2023 up 10.4% rising
24 Sweden 12.74 years 2023 up 4.2% rising
25 South Korea 12.72 years 2023 up 6.7% rising
26 Georgia 12.7 years 2023 up 1.1% rising
27 Belgium 12.69 years 2023 up 10.0% rising
28 Japan 12.68 years 2023 up 0.9% rising
29 Netherlands 12.67 years 2023 up 5.0% rising
31 Cyprus 12.56 years 2023 up 5.7% rising
32 Kazakhstan 12.55 years 2023 up 7.5% rising
34 Russia 12.41 years 2023 up 0.4% rising
36 Austria 12.36 years 2023 up 4.8% rising
37 Hong Kong 12.35 years 2023 up 4.7% rising
38 Belarus 12.34 years 2023 up 6.6% rising
39 Hungary 12.33 years 2023 up 2.7% rising
40 Croatia 12.1 years 2023 up 6.8% rising
41 Kyrgyzstan 12.07 years 2023 up 7.2% rising
42 Singapore 11.99 years 2023 up 7.5% rising
43 Uzbekistan 11.91 years 2023 up 5.7% rising
44 Oman 11.89 years 2023 up 32.3% rising
45 Moldova 11.83 years 2023 up 1.7% rising
46 France 11.77 years 2023 up 6.2% rising
48 Antigua and Barbuda 11.65 years 2023 up 6.0% rising
49 Serbia 11.64 years 2023 up 10.2% rising
50 Marshall Islands 11.64 years 2023 up 5.6% rising
51 Andorra 11.61 years 2023 up 9.3% rising
51 South Africa 11.61 years 2023 up 15.6% rising
53 Saudi Arabia 11.61 years 2023 up 20.1% rising
54 Greece 11.55 years 2023 up 10.0% rising
55 Romania 11.55 years 2023 up 4.8% rising
56 Bulgaria 11.45 years 2023 up 4.0% rising
57 San Marino 11.36 years 2023 up 10.7% rising
58 Armenia 11.35 years 2023 down 0.3% rising
59 Samoa 11.33 years 2023 down 2.4% rising
60 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11.3 years 2023 up 7.8% rising
61 Chile 11.29 years 2023 up 12.8% rising
62 Tajikistan 11.27 years 2023 down 0.0% rising
63 Turkmenistan 11.21 years 2023 up 3.4% flat
64 Seychelles 11.2 years 2023 up 2.7% rising
65 Argentina 11.18 years 2023 up 2.7% rising
66 Bahrain 11.13 years 2023 up 28.3% rising
67 Ukraine 11.12 years 2023 down 1.6% rising
68 Malaysia 11.09 years 2023 up 10.5% rising
69 Azerbaijan 11.07 years 2023 up 4.7% rising
70 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.97 years 2023 up 28.5% rising
71 Tonga 10.91 years 2023 up 0.1% rising
72 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10.85 years 2023 up 4.8% rising
73 Iran 10.85 years 2023 up 8.0% rising
74 Panama 10.83 years 2023 up 11.7% rising
75 Italy 10.83 years 2023 up 7.0% rising
76 Trinidad and Tobago 10.79 years 2023 up 1.2% rising
77 Sri Lanka 10.77 years 2023 up 2.5% rising
77 Qatar 10.77 years 2023 up 9.9% rising
79 Tuvalu 10.77 years 2023 up 9.7% rising
80 Spain 10.76 years 2023 up 11.9% rising
81 Cuba 10.63 years 2023 down 6.6% rising
82 Uruguay 10.54 years 2023 up 23.7% rising
83 Botswana 10.48 years 2023 up 9.6% rising
84 Fiji 10.37 years 2023 up 2.9% rising
85 Lebanon 10.37 years 2023 up 11.4% rising
86 Jordan 10.24 years 2023 up 1.7% rising
87 North Macedonia 10.23 years 2023 down 0.3% rising
88 Albania 10.18 years 2023 up 1.6% rising
89 Peru 10.15 years 2023 up 11.1% rising
90 Egypt 10.14 years 2023 up 25.2% rising
91 Palestine 10.13 years 2023 up 14.2% rising
92 Dominica 10.13 years 2023 up 10.4% rising
93 Mauritius 10.1 years 2023 up 12.5% rising
94 Bolivia 10.02 years 2023 up 19.0% rising
95 Philippines 9.98 years 2023 up 9.0% rising
96 Jamaica 9.96 years 2023 up 14.3% rising
97 Nicaragua 9.93 years 2023 up 15.0% rising
98 Barbados 9.93 years 2023 up 2.6% rising
99 Portugal 9.7 years 2023 up 12.0% rising
100 Gabon 9.69 years 2023 up 15.1% rising
101 Venezuela 9.68 years 2023 up 3.2% rising
102 Nauru 9.45 years 2023 up 13.4% rising
103 Grenada 9.45 years 2023 up 3.4% rising
104 Dominican Republic 9.44 years 2023 up 25.6% rising
105 Mongolia 9.42 years 2023 down 9.1% rising
106 Mexico 9.35 years 2023 up 11.8% rising
107 Brunei 9.28 years 2023 up 4.1% rising
108 Kiribati 9.13 years 2023 up 5.7% rising
109 Thailand 9.04 years 2023 up 14.3% rising
110 Colombia 9.03 years 2023 up 15.3% rising
111 Turkey 8.99 years 2023 up 17.8% rising
112 Vietnam 8.98 years 2023 up 13.7% rising
113 Ecuador 8.97 years 2023 up 8.2% rising
114 Zimbabwe 8.93 years 2023 up 11.8% rising
115 Paraguay 8.93 years 2023 up 7.7% rising
116 Costa Rica 8.84 years 2023 up 3.1% rising
117 Belize 8.76 years 2023 down 8.2% rising
118 Guyana 8.7 years 2023 up 13.0% rising
119 Indonesia 8.7 years 2023 up 12.9% rising
120 Eswatini 8.69 years 2023 up 29.3% rising
121 Kenya 8.62 years 2023 up 31.8% rising
122 Saint Lucia 8.61 years 2023 up 3.0% rising
123 Suriname 8.43 years 2023 up 4.0% rising
124 Brazil 8.43 years 2023 up 15.6% rising
125 Congo 8.32 years 2023 up 5.1% rising
126 Equatorial Guinea 8.28 years 2023 up 7.8% rising
127 China 8.04 years 2023 up 9.4% rising
128 Libya 7.78 years 2023 down 0.4% rising
129 Lesotho 7.73 years 2023 up 21.5% rising
130 Tunisia 7.59 years 2023 up 10.8% rising
131 Nigeria 7.59 years 2023 up 19.5% rising
132 Kuwait 7.57 years 2023 up 13.3% rising
133 Honduras 7.51 years 2023 up 28.4% rising
134 Algeria 7.42 years 2023 up 24.9% rising
135 Maldives 7.41 years 2023 up 30.1% rising
136 Zambia 7.4 years 2023 up 12.5% rising
137 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.38 years 2023 up 23.8% rising
138 Micronesia (country) 7.33 years 2023 down 1.4% falling
139 El Salvador 7.3 years 2023 up 13.5% rising
140 Namibia 7.27 years 2023 up 7.7% rising
141 Vanuatu 7.18 years 2023 up 13.0% rising
142 Ghana 7.11 years 2023 up 21.5% rising
143 India 6.88 years 2023 up 25.2% rising
144 Bangladesh 6.79 years 2023 up 34.2% rising
145 Iraq 6.78 years 2023 up 3.7% rising
146 Cameroon 6.57 years 2023 up 16.2% rising
147 Myanmar 6.38 years 2023 up 47.1% rising
148 Uganda 6.32 years 2023 up 18.9% rising
149 East Timor 6.23 years 2023 up 17.4% rising
150 Morocco 6.2 years 2023 up 25.9% rising
151 Liberia 6.17 years 2023 up 39.1% rising
152 Cape Verde 6.09 years 2023 up 5.3% rising
153 Tanzania 6.07 years 2023 up 11.0% rising
154 Laos 6.06 years 2023 up 14.8% rising
155 Comoros 6.01 years 2023 up 26.7% rising
156 Sao Tome and Principe 5.99 years 2023 up 10.1% rising
157 Angola 5.96 years 2023 up 50.8% rising
158 Syria 5.94 years 2023 down 5.3% rising
159 Solomon Islands 5.88 years 2023 up 4.6% rising
160 Togo 5.86 years 2023 up 44.9% rising
161 Guatemala 5.85 years 2023 up 19.3% rising
162 Bhutan 5.84 years 2023 up 125.5% rising
163 South Sudan 5.73 years 2023 unchanged flat
164 Yemen 5.48 years 2023 up 53.8% volatile
165 Haiti 5.38 years 2023 up 7.1% rising
166 Malawi 5.24 years 2023 up 5.1% rising
167 Cambodia 5.2 years 2023 up 41.7% rising
168 Eritrea 5.09 years 2023 up 9.5% rising
169 Papua New Guinea 4.96 years 2023 up 11.1% rising
170 Rwanda 4.88 years 2023 up 24.6% rising
171 Cote d'Ivoire 4.87 years 2023 up 7.5% rising
172 Mauritania 4.85 years 2023 up 15.2% rising
173 Gambia 4.67 years 2023 up 30.9% rising
174 Madagascar 4.59 years 2023 down 5.1% rising
175 Mozambique 4.59 years 2023 up 58.0% rising
176 Nepal 4.5 years 2023 up 24.9% rising
177 Pakistan 4.32 years 2023 down 13.0% rising
178 Central African Republic 3.99 years 2023 up 10.9% rising
179 Sudan 3.96 years 2023 up 15.7% rising
180 Djibouti 3.95 years 2023 up 32.4% rising
181 Guinea-Bissau 3.67 years 2023 up 11.2% rising
182 Sierra Leone 3.54 years 2023 up 4.1% rising
183 Burundi 3.47 years 2023 up 65.7% rising
184 Benin 3.19 years 2023 up 22.9% rising
185 Senegal 2.93 years 2023 up 5.6% rising
186 Afghanistan 2.51 years 2023 up 23.8% rising
187 Guinea 2.49 years 2023 up 38.3% rising
188 Ethiopia 2.4 years 2023 up 5.7% rising
189 Chad 2.33 years 2023 up 19.8% rising
190 Burkina Faso 2.27 years 2023 up 81.9% rising
191 Mali 1.63 years 2023 down 15.3% rising
192 Niger 1.41 years 2023 down 10.3% rising

About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling vs. GDP per capita
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.