Share of the population with at least some formal education in Austria
Austria: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 98.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
98.1%
World rank
42nd
of 111 countries
All-time high
99.9%
in 1980
All-time low
37.0%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Austria, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with at least some formal education in Austria stood at 98.1%.
The figure is down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Austria peaked at 99.9% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 37.0%, in 1870.
Austria ranks 42nd of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Austria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 37.0% | — |
| 1875 | 38.9% | +5.1% |
| 1880 | 41.2% | +5.9% |
| 1885 | 44.5% | +8.0% |
| 1890 | 48.4% | +8.8% |
| 1895 | 52.8% | +9.1% |
| 1900 | 57.3% | +8.5% |
| 1905 | 61.5% | +7.3% |
| 1910 | 65.8% | +7.0% |
| 1915 | 70.2% | +6.7% |
| 1920 | 74.5% | +6.1% |
| 1925 | 79.8% | +7.1% |
| 1930 | 84.3% | +5.6% |
| 1935 | 88.5% | +5.0% |
| 1940 | 92.2% | +4.2% |
| 1945 | 95.3% | +3.4% |
| 1950 | 97.6% | +2.4% |
| 1955 | 97.9% | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 98.2% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 97.4% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 99.1% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 99.9% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 99.5% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 98.9% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 98.4% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 98.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 98.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.1% | -0.2% |
Austria compared with similar countries
- Austria's 98.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 99% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Austria's 98.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 99% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 38.0% | 37.0% | 38.9% | 2 |
| 1880s | 42.9% | 41.2% | 44.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 50.6% | 48.4% | 52.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 59.4% | 57.3% | 61.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 68.0% | 65.8% | 70.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 77.2% | 74.5% | 79.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 86.4% | 84.3% | 88.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 93.8% | 92.2% | 95.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 97.8% | 97.6% | 97.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 97.8% | 97.4% | 98.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 98.3% | 97.5% | 99.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 99.7% | 99.5% | 99.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 98.7% | 98.4% | 98.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 98.4% | 98.4% | 98.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 98.3% | 98.3% | 98.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.1% | 98.1% | 98.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Austria
More education data for Austria
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 75,436 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 13,699 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 141,883 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 134,270 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 706,802 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 368,502 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0402 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Austria?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Austria was 98.1% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Austria?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Austria?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.0% in 1870.
- How does Austria rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Austria ranks 42nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Austria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Austria data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.