Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden
Sweden: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 16.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden stood at 16.0%.
That represents a change of down 4.5% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden peaked at 26.5% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 14.6%, in 2012.
That places Sweden 52nd out of 124 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 | 26.5% | — |
| 2000 | 23.3% | -11.9% |
| 2001 | 20.6% | -11.9% |
| 2002 | 22.3% | +8.5% |
| 2003 | 22.1% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 20.3% | -7.9% |
| 2005 | 21.7% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 21.3% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 21.8% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 22.1% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 19.3% | -12.5% |
| 2010 | 18.9% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 22.0% | +16.4% |
| 2012 | 14.6% | -33.8% |
| 2013 | 17.5% | +20.4% |
| 2015 | 15.6% | -11.2% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 15.7% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 16.8% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 17.5% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 16.6% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 16.0% | -4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.5% | 26.5% | 26.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 21.5% | 19.3% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 14.6% | 22.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 16.0% | 17.5% | 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 (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 16.0% 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 26.5% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6% in 2012.
- How does Sweden rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Sweden ranks 52nd out of 124 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 8.7%. 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, female (%). 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