Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sweden
Sweden: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 87.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sweden, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 87.5% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sweden peaked at 93.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 87.4%, in 2023.
That places Sweden 41st out of 155 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 93.9% | — |
| 2000 | 93.7% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 93.6% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 93.3% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 92.7% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 92.7% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 92.5% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 92.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 92.0% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 91.4% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 91.0% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 91.3% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 91.2% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 91.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 91.1% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 91.0% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 90.8% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 90.8% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 90.4% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 90.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 89.5% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 89.0% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 88.4% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 87.8% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 87.4% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 87.5% | +0.1% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 87.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 87.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 82.7%, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.9% | 93.9% | 93.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 92.5% | 91.0% | 93.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 90.8% | 89.5% | 91.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.0% | 87.4% | 89.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sweden?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Sweden was 87.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 93.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.4% in 2023.
- How does Sweden rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Sweden ranks 41st out of 155 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release