Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Sweden
Sweden: Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years was 12.45 in 2019. ▲ Rising
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Sweden, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2019, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Sweden stood at 12.45. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Sweden peaked at 12.45 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 6.75, in 1970.
That places Sweden 30th out of 121 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.75 | — |
| 1974 | 7.49 | +10.9% |
| 1979 | 8.6 | +14.8% |
| 1986 | 8.9 | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 9.06 | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 9.22 | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 9.39 | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 9.58 | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 9.73 | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 10 | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 10.16 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 10.29 | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 10.46 | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 12.01 | +14.7% |
| 2005 | 12.08 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 12.14 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 12.2 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 11.99 | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 12.05 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 12.11 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 12.17 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 12.22 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 12.16 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 12.2 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 12.25 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 12.29 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 12.35 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 12.45 | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.61 | 6.75 | 8.6 | 3 |
| 1980s | 9.14 | 8.9 | 9.39 | 4 |
| 1990s | 10.04 | 9.58 | 10.46 | 6 |
| 2000s | 12.08 | 11.99 | 12.2 | 6 |
| 2010s | 12.24 | 12.11 | 12.45 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 27 Saudi Arabia 12.53 compare
- 28 Luxembourg 12.48 compare
- 29 Cyprus 12.47 compare
- 31 Belgium 12.43 compare
- 32 Malta 12.41 compare
- 33 Puerto Rico 12.41 compare
More education data for Sweden
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Sweden?
- Mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years in Sweden was 12.45 in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 12.45 in 2019.
- What is the lowest mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.75 in 1970.
- How does Sweden rank for mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years?
- Sweden ranks 30th out of 121 countries with data for 2019.
- Is mean years of schooling (isced 1 or higher), population 25+ years rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. 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 Mean years of schooling (ISCED 1 or higher), population 25+ years, male. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release