Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary in Sweden
Sweden: Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary was 52.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Sweden, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 52.5% for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in 2023. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Sweden peaked at 52.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 8.3%, in 1970.
That places Sweden 10th out of 110 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.3% | — |
| 1974 | 11.7% | +41.2% |
| 1979 | 15.4% | +31.2% |
| 1986 | 16.6% | +7.7% |
| 1987 | 17.2% | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 17.6% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 18.1% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 19.0% | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 19.3% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 21.0% | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 21.7% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 22.3% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 23.3% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 31.9% | +36.6% |
| 2005 | 32.7% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 33.5% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 34.3% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 32.3% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 33.0% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 33.8% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 34.6% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 35.2% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 35.9% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 36.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 37.2% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 37.9% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 38.6% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 40.0% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 49.3% | +23.2% |
| 2022 | 50.8% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 52.5% | +3.4% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 52.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 39.4%, 1.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 52.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.3%, 1.4× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate … both post-secondary non-tertiary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +41.2% | 8.3% | 11.7% |
| 2004 | +36.6% | 23.3% | 31.9% |
| 1979 | +31.2% | 11.7% | 15.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.8% | 8.3% | 15.4% | 3 |
| 1980s | 17.4% | 16.6% | 18.1% | 4 |
| 1990s | 21.1% | 19.0% | 23.3% | 6 |
| 2000s | 32.9% | 31.9% | 34.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 36.6% | 33.8% | 40.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 50.9% | 49.3% | 52.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Sweden?
- Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary in Sweden was 52.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 52.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.3% in 1970.
- How does Sweden rank for educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary?
- Sweden ranks 10th out of 110 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed post-secondary non-tertiary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release