Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden
Sweden: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 12.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 12.6% for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden peaked at 19.5% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 2012.
That places Sweden 50th out of 126 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 19.5% | — |
| 2000 | 17.4% | -10.8% |
| 2001 | 15.3% | -11.9% |
| 2002 | 16.7% | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 16.7% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 15.7% | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 16.8% | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 16.5% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 17.2% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 18.0% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 15.5% | -14.0% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 17.2% | +13.5% |
| 2012 | 10.9% | -36.9% |
| 2013 | 13.2% | +21.4% |
| 2015 | 12.1% | -8.5% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 13.0% | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 13.0% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 13.8% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 12.8% | -7.1% |
| 2022 | 13.1% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 12.6% | -3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.5% | 19.5% | 19.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 16.6% | 15.3% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.2% | 10.9% | 17.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 13.0% | 12.6% | 13.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 71,551 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden was 12.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 2012.
- How does Sweden rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Sweden ranks 50th out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. 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 graduates from tertiary education graduating from Education programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release