Compulsory education, duration in Sweden
Sweden: Compulsory education, duration was 10 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
10 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
81st
of 197 countries
All-time high
10 years
in 2019
All-time low
9 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Compulsory education, duration in Sweden, 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, compulsory education, duration in Sweden stood at 10 years. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Sweden peaked at 10 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.
Sweden ranks 81st of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Compulsory education, duration in Sweden, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 years | — |
| 1999 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2020 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 10 years | +0.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 10 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 11 years, 91% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 10 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10 years, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.1 years | 9 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 81 Algeria 10 years compare
- 81 Andorra 10 years compare
- 81 Angola 10 years compare
- 81 Burkina Faso 10 years compare
- 81 Cape Verde 10 years compare
- 81 Canada 10 years compare
- 81 Central African Republic 10 years compare
- 81 Chad 10 years compare
- 81 Congo 10 years compare
- 81 Cote d'Ivoire 10 years compare
- 81 Cyprus 10 years compare
- 81 Czechia 10 years compare
- 81 Denmark 10 years compare
- 81 Djibouti 10 years compare
- 81 Gabon 10 years compare
- 81 Greece 10 years compare
- 81 Iceland 10 years compare
- 81 Ireland 10 years compare
- 81 Jordan 10 years compare
- 81 Kyrgyzstan 10 years compare
- 81 Lebanon 10 years compare
- 81 Macao 10 years compare
- 81 Moldova 10 years compare
- 81 New Zealand 10 years compare
- 81 Norway 10 years compare
- 81 Oman 10 years compare
- 81 Romania 10 years compare
- 81 San Marino 10 years compare
- 81 Spain 10 years compare
- 81 Saint Lucia 10 years compare
- 81 Togo 10 years compare
- 81 Vietnam 10 years compare
- 81 Palestine 10 years compare
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 compulsory education, duration in Sweden?
- Compulsory education, duration in Sweden was 10 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 10 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- How does Sweden rank for compulsory education, duration?
- Sweden ranks 81st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.