Share of the population with at least some formal education in Germany
Germany: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 98.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
98.4%
World rank
34th
of 111 countries
All-time high
98.4%
in 2020
All-time low
34.5%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Germany, 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 Germany stood at 98.4%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Germany peaked at 98.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 34.5%, in 1870.
Germany ranks 34th 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 34.5% | — |
| 1875 | 37.4% | +8.4% |
| 1880 | 40.4% | +8.0% |
| 1885 | 43.4% | +7.4% |
| 1890 | 46.4% | +6.9% |
| 1895 | 49.3% | +6.2% |
| 1900 | 51.6% | +4.7% |
| 1905 | 53.2% | +3.1% |
| 1910 | 54.6% | +2.6% |
| 1915 | 64.0% | +17.2% |
| 1920 | 72.7% | +13.6% |
| 1925 | 78.5% | +8.0% |
| 1930 | 80.7% | +2.8% |
| 1935 | 84.4% | +4.6% |
| 1940 | 87.2% | +3.3% |
| 1945 | 90.3% | +3.6% |
| 1950 | 94.3% | +4.4% |
| 1955 | 97.0% | +2.9% |
| 1960 | 97.1% | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 97.1% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 94.4% | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 93.8% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 93.5% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 94.4% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 94.8% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 96.0% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 96.5% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 98.3% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 98.2% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | +0.2% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 98.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 99% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Germany's 98.4% 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 | 36.0% | 34.5% | 37.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 41.9% | 40.4% | 43.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 47.8% | 46.4% | 49.3% | 2 |
| 1900s | 52.4% | 51.6% | 53.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 59.3% | 54.6% | 64.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 75.6% | 72.7% | 78.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 82.6% | 80.7% | 84.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 88.8% | 87.2% | 90.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 95.7% | 94.3% | 97.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 97.1% | 97.1% | 97.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 94.1% | 93.8% | 94.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 94.0% | 93.5% | 94.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 94.9% | 94.8% | 95.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 96.2% | 96.0% | 96.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 98.2% | 98.2% | 98.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.4% | 98.4% | 98.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 32 Serbia 98.8% compare
- 33 China 98.7% compare
- 34 Peru 98.4% compare
- 36 New Zealand 98.3% compare
- 37 Bulgaria 98.2% compare
- 37 Costa Rica 98.2% compare
- 37 El Salvador 98.2% compare
- 37 Iceland 98.2% compare
- 37 Philippines 98.2% compare
More education data for Germany
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0396 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Germany?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Germany was 98.4% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 98.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.5% in 1870.
- How does Germany rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Germany ranks 34th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.