Inequality in education in Germany
Germany: Inequality in education was 0.0372 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Inequality in education in Germany, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in education in Germany stood at 0.0372.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 34.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in Germany peaked at 0.0376 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.0253, in 2010.
That places Germany 153rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0253 | — |
| 2011 | 0.0254 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.0258 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.0276 | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 0.0286 | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 0.0283 | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.03 | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 0.0271 | -9.5% |
| 2018 | 0.0259 | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0266 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 0.0366 | +37.2% |
| 2021 | 0.0376 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0372 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 0.0372 | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 0.0372 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0476, 78% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Germany's 0.0372 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0317, 1.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Inequality in education in Germany 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +37.2% | 0.0266 | 0.0366 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0271 | 0.0253 | 0.03 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0372 | 0.0366 | 0.0376 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More education data for Germany
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0396 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in education in Germany?
- Inequality in education in Germany was 0.0372 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0376 in 2021.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0253 in 2010.
- How does Germany rank for inequality in education?
- Germany ranks 153rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.