Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in Norway
Norway: Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both was 81.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Norway, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Norway stood at 81.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Norway peaked at 82.4% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 28.1%, in 1970.
Norway ranks 29th of 142 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 28.1% | — |
| 1975 | 32.3% | +14.9% |
| 1980 | 38.2% | +18.2% |
| 1990 | 66.0% | +73.0% |
| 1996 | 76.8% | +16.2% |
| 1997 | 78.3% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 79.9% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 81.1% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 81.9% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 82.4% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 70.6% | -14.3% |
| 2005 | 71.3% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 73.2% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 73.8% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 74.9% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 74.9% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 75.4% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 76.0% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 80.9% | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 81.4% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 77.0% | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 77.5% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 77.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 78.2% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 82.2% | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 78.7% | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 81.9% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 80.0% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 81.9% | +2.4% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 81.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 79.5%, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Norway's 81.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81.4%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary … upper both in Norway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +73.0% | 38.2% | 66.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 30.2% | 28.1% | 32.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 38.2% | 38.2% | 38.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 76.4% | 66.0% | 81.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 75.4% | 70.6% | 82.4% | 8 |
| 2010s | 78.5% | 75.4% | 82.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.3% | 80.0% | 81.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 26 Slovenia 82.3% compare
- 27 Finland 82.1% compare
- 28 Montenegro 81.9% compare
- 30 Germany 81.9% compare
- 31 Puerto Rico 81.8% compare
- 32 South Korea 81.5% compare
More education data for Norway
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.62 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.62 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 59,473 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (1993)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,282 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 80,636 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 469,508 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 434,422 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7841 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Norway?
- Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or in Norway was 81.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 82.4% in 2001.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.1% in 1970.
- How does Norway rank for educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or?
- Norway ranks 29th out of 142 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed upper secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release