Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden
Sweden: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 1.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden stood at 1.4%.
The figure is up 48.7% on the previous year and down 34.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden peaked at 3.5% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2003.
That places Sweden 159th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.1% | — |
| 2002 | 0.5% | +284.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -76.1% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +62.4% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +348.6% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -9.6% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -51.7% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | +105.2% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +177.5% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +31.5% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | +21.7% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -46.0% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +39.4% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -20.3% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -18.6% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -14.7% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -55.2% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +81.2% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -14.3% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | +12.1% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -15.8% |
| 2024 | 1.4% | +48.7% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 28% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 1.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.8%, 47% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +348.6% | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 2.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 0.6% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden?
- Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Sweden was 1.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2003.
- How does Sweden rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
- Sweden ranks 159th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.