Statizoid

Barro-Lee: Average years of total schooling, age 15+, total by country

Average years of total schooling, 15+, total is the average years of education completed among people over age 15.

Countries reporting
144
Highest
13.18
United States
Lowest
1.88
Niger
Median
8.64
Years covered
51
1960–2010
Data points
1,584

What the numbers show

Barro-Lee: Average years of total schooling, age 15+, total is currently reported for 144 countries. The highest value is 13.18 in United States; the lowest is 1.88 in Niger.

The median across all reporting countries is 8.64, and the mean is 8.34.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7.

Over the past decade 138 countries rose and 6 fell. The largest increase was in Mozambique (up 78.7%), and the largest decrease in New Zealand (down 6.6%).

Barro-Lee: Average years of total schooling, age 15+, total: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 United States 13.18 2010 up 4.3% rising
2 Switzerland 13.02 2010 up 33.1% rising
3 Slovakia 12.82 2010 up 14.5% rising
4 Czechia 12.8 2010 up 0.9% rising
5 Germany 12.37 2010 up 23.0% rising
6 Canada 12.32 2010 up 12.5% rising
6 Israel 12.32 2010 up 8.6% rising
8 United Kingdom 12.24 2010 up 23.4% rising
9 Estonia 12.11 2010 up 6.1% rising
10 South Korea 12.05 2010 up 9.0% rising
11 Ireland 12.03 2010 up 12.9% rising
12 Slovenia 11.89 2010 up 4.8% rising
13 Hungary 11.85 2010 up 5.8% rising
14 Sweden 11.64 2010 up 2.3% rising
15 Finland 11.62 2010 up 27.8% rising
16 Japan 11.6 2010 up 6.0% rising
17 Norway 11.59 2010 up 5.2% rising
18 Australia 11.54 2010 up 4.2% rising
19 Russia 11.53 2010 up 5.8% rising
20 Netherlands 11.39 2010 up 5.4% rising
21 Hong Kong 11.38 2010 up 22.2% rising
22 Kazakhstan 11.33 2010 up 7.5% rising
23 Poland 11.32 2010 up 10.3% rising
24 Denmark 11.3 2010 up 4.9% rising
24 Croatia 11.3 2010 up 16.4% rising
26 Belize 11.29 2010 up 12.0% rising
27 Bulgaria 11.24 2010 up 21.1% rising
28 Ukraine 11.15 2010 up 6.7% rising
29 Cyprus 11.07 2010 up 11.4% rising
30 Iceland 11.05 2010 up 14.3% rising
31 Luxembourg 10.99 2010 up 15.1% rising
32 New Zealand 10.98 2010 down 6.6% rising
33 Lithuania 10.89 2010 up 14.8% rising
34 Serbia 10.85 2010 up 20.6% rising
35 Tonga 10.82 2010 up 15.5% rising
36 Singapore 10.81 2010 up 18.1% rising
37 Armenia 10.73 2010 up 2.8% rising
38 Kyrgyzstan 10.71 2010 up 13.9% rising
39 Belgium 10.69 2010 up 3.9% rising
40 France 10.68 2010 up 9.5% rising
41 Romania 10.67 2010 up 6.3% rising
42 Latvia 10.65 2010 up 14.0% rising
43 Trinidad and Tobago 10.63 2010 up 11.8% rising
44 Malta 10.52 2010 up 7.6% rising
45 Malaysia 10.44 2010 up 14.9% rising
46 Moldova 10.4 2010 up 12.9% rising
47 Greece 10.3 2010 up 15.9% rising
47 Tajikistan 10.3 2010 down 3.1% rising
49 Spain 10.27 2010 up 15.0% rising
50 Cuba 10.16 2010 up 14.0% rising
51 Sri Lanka 10.06 2010 down 1.8% rising
52 Fiji 9.96 2010 up 2.0% rising
53 Albania 9.93 2010 up 4.7% rising
54 Jamaica 9.87 2010 up 8.0% rising
55 Chile 9.78 2010 up 7.8% rising
56 South Africa 9.69 2010 up 26.2% rising
57 Italy 9.63 2010 up 9.7% rising
58 Austria 9.6 2010 up 7.0% rising
59 Jordan 9.59 2010 up 14.7% rising
60 Botswana 9.55 2010 up 8.3% volatile
61 Argentina 9.51 2010 up 8.9% rising
62 Barbados 9.45 2010 up 7.3% rising
63 Panama 9.27 2010 up 6.1% rising
64 Mongolia 9.2 2010 up 16.8% rising
65 United Arab Emirates 9.07 2010 up 7.6% volatile
66 Colombia 8.95 2010 up 29.7% rising
67 Iran 8.88 2010 up 21.5% volatile
67 Peru 8.88 2010 up 0.3% rising
69 Mauritius 8.86 2010 up 32.2% rising
70 Guyana 8.79 2010 up 8.1% rising
70 Mexico 8.79 2010 up 14.8% rising
72 Brunei 8.74 2010 up 6.3% rising
73 Macao 8.54 2010 up 27.8% rising
74 Saudi Arabia 8.53 2010 up 20.5% rising
75 Philippines 8.43 2010 up 7.1% rising
75 Qatar 8.43 2010 up 27.7% rising
77 Venezuela 8.41 2010 up 25.3% rising
78 Gabon 8.39 2010 up 19.5% volatile
79 Bolivia 8.25 2010 down 0.5% rising
80 Uruguay 8.17 2010 up 1.2% rising
81 Libya 8 2010 up 17.8% volatile
82 Thailand 7.99 2010 up 41.4% rising
83 Costa Rica 7.97 2010 up 3.5% rising
84 Brazil 7.89 2010 up 21.0% rising
85 Dominican Republic 7.85 2010 up 12.5% rising
86 El Salvador 7.77 2010 up 17.9% rising
87 Indonesia 7.61 2010 up 47.8% rising
87 Zimbabwe 7.61 2010 up 8.7% rising
89 Ecuador 7.6 2010 up 7.0% rising
90 Paraguay 7.57 2010 up 21.5% rising
91 Portugal 7.52 2010 up 1.2% rising
92 China 7.51 2010 up 8.4% rising
93 Tunisia 7.48 2010 up 26.8% volatile
94 Zambia 7.32 2010 up 18.8% rising
95 Iraq 7.16 2010 up 21.4% volatile
96 Egypt 7.15 2010 up 18.6% volatile
96 Vietnam 7.15 2010 up 26.8% rising
98 Bahrain 7.06 2010 down 5.6% rising
99 Turkey 7.05 2010 up 15.6% rising
100 Ghana 7 2010 up 8.7% rising
101 Syria 6.7 2010 up 46.3% rising
102 Algeria 6.68 2010 up 17.8% volatile
103 Nicaragua 6.61 2010 up 20.0% rising
104 Kuwait 6.34 2010 up 4.1% rising
105 India 6.24 2010 up 24.1% volatile
106 Honduras 6.19 2010 up 9.6% rising
107 Namibia 6.17 2010 up 7.9% rising
108 Cameroon 6.15 2010 up 12.6% rising
109 Kenya 6.14 2010 up 7.9% rising
110 Maldives 6.02 2010 up 41.3% rising
111 Congo 5.94 2010 up 4.8% rising
112 Bangladesh 5.91 2010 up 31.9% volatile
113 Lesotho 5.85 2010 down 5.8% rising
114 Tanzania 5.81 2010 up 22.8% rising
115 Uganda 5.7 2010 up 31.6% rising
116 Togo 5.49 2010 up 15.6% volatile
117 Haiti 5.11 2010 up 18.0% volatile
118 Eswatini 5.06 2010 up 14.0% rising
119 Laos 5.02 2010 up 18.1% rising
119 Pakistan 5.02 2010 up 29.7% rising
121 Morocco 4.96 2010 up 29.8% volatile
122 Myanmar 4.85 2010 up 31.4% rising
123 Malawi 4.81 2010 up 38.2% rising
124 Cambodia 4.72 2010 up 34.9% rising
125 Cote d'Ivoire 4.65 2010 up 20.2% rising
126 Guatemala 4.57 2010 up 11.5% rising
127 Mauritania 4.53 2010 up 27.6% rising
128 Benin 4.43 2010 up 42.4% volatile
129 Rwanda 4.36 2010 up 35.0% volatile
130 Papua New Guinea 4.26 2010 up 22.4% rising
131 Nepal 4.23 2010 up 42.4% volatile
131 Sierra Leone 4.23 2010 up 52.2% volatile
133 Liberia 4.2 2010 up 20.3% rising
134 Afghanistan 3.85 2010 up 34.6% volatile
135 Gambia 3.77 2010 up 42.8% volatile
136 Central African Republic 3.76 2010 up 14.3% volatile
137 Yemen 3.68 2010 up 57.3% volatile
138 Democratic Republic of Congo 3.66 2010 up 8.6% rising
139 Burundi 3.35 2010 up 30.9% rising
140 Sudan 3.21 2010 up 13.8% volatile
141 Senegal 2.74 2010 up 42.7% flat
142 Mali 1.97 2010 up 60.2% volatile
143 Mozambique 1.93 2010 up 78.7% rising
144 Niger 1.88 2010 up 36.2% volatile

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Barro-Lee: Average years of total schooling, age 15+, total by country. Statizoid, drawing on Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/barro-lee-average-years-of-total-schooling-age-15-total/

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About this data

Indicator
Barro-Lee: Average years of total schooling, age 15+, total
Source
Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
144 places, 1,584 data points, 1960–2010
Last refreshed

Average years of total schooling, 15+, total is the average years of education completed among people over age 15.