Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Netherlands
Netherlands: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years was 12.35 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Netherlands, 1971–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 12.35 for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Netherlands peaked at 12.35 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.25, in 1971.
That places Netherlands 32nd out of 121 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.25 | — |
| 2004 | 11.38 | +56.8% |
| 2005 | 11.38 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 11.63 | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 11.56 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 11.61 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 11.63 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 11.64 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 11.71 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 11.73 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 11.76 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 11.82 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 11.9 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 12.08 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 12.35 | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.25 | 7.25 | 7.25 | 1 |
| 2000s | 11.51 | 11.38 | 11.63 | 5 |
| 2010s | 11.78 | 11.63 | 12.08 | 8 |
| 2020s | 12.35 | 12.35 | 12.35 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More education data for Netherlands
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Netherlands?
- Mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Netherlands was 12.35 in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 12.35 in 2020.
- What is the lowest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.25 in 1971.
- How does Netherlands rank for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years?
- Netherlands ranks 32nd out of 121 countries with data for 2020.
- Is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release