Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden
Sweden: Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from was 26.8% 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 26.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden peaked at 33.8% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 26.3%, in 2021.
That places Sweden 11th out of 122 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
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 | 30.6% | — |
| 2000 | 29.0% | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 28.7% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 29.3% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 31.1% | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 33.5% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 32.2% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 32.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 32.5% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 32.0% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 33.8% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 32.6% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 29.9% | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 31.8% | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 30.1% | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 28.7% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 28.9% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 29.9% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 29.9% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 28.5% | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 28.0% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 26.3% | -6.0% |
| 2022 | 26.9% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 26.8% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.6% | 30.6% | 30.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 31.4% | 28.7% | 33.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.0% | 28.5% | 32.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 27.0% | 26.3% | 28.0% | 4 |
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 graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden?
- Percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from in Sweden was 26.8% 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 33.8% in 2009.
- What is the lowest percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.3% in 2021.
- How does Sweden rank for percentage of graduates from tertiary education graduating from?
- Sweden ranks 11th out of 122 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 10.8%. 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 Health and Welfare 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