Inequality in education in Norway
Norway: Inequality in education was 0.0177 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Inequality in education in Norway, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in education in Norway stood at 0.0177. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 13.9% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in Norway peaked at 0.0233 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.0177, in 2023.
That places Norway 177th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.0186 | — |
| 2011 | 0.0193 | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 0.0186 | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 0.0198 | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0215 | +8.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0215 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0215 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0215 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0233 | +8.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0233 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0233 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0233 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0206 | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 0.0177 | -13.9% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 0.0177 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0476, 37% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- Norway's 0.0177 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0317, 56% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0209 | 0.0186 | 0.0233 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0212 | 0.0177 | 0.0233 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.078 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in education in Norway?
- Inequality in education in Norway was 0.0177 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0233 in 2018.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0177 in 2023.
- How does Norway rank for inequality in education?
- Norway ranks 177th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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.