Share of the population with at least some formal education in Poland
Poland: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 99.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
99.8%
World rank
3rd
of 111 countries
All-time high
99.8%
in 2010
All-time low
29.0%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Poland, 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 Poland stood at 99.8%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Poland peaked at 99.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 29.0%, in 1870.
Poland ranks 3rd of 111 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 Poland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 29.0% | — |
| 1875 | 31.1% | +7.2% |
| 1880 | 33.3% | +7.1% |
| 1885 | 35.6% | +6.9% |
| 1890 | 38.0% | +6.7% |
| 1895 | 40.4% | +6.3% |
| 1900 | 42.9% | +6.2% |
| 1905 | 48.4% | +12.8% |
| 1910 | 52.8% | +9.1% |
| 1915 | 56.4% | +6.8% |
| 1920 | 60.5% | +7.3% |
| 1925 | 63.6% | +5.1% |
| 1930 | 69.0% | +8.5% |
| 1935 | 76.8% | +11.3% |
| 1940 | 84.9% | +10.5% |
| 1945 | 89.1% | +4.9% |
| 1950 | 91.0% | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 93.5% | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 95.5% | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 96.9% | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 98.6% | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 99.5% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 99.2% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 99.5% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 98.9% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 99.1% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 99.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 99.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 99.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Poland's 99.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 30.1% | 29.0% | 31.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 34.5% | 33.3% | 35.6% | 2 |
| 1890s | 39.2% | 38.0% | 40.4% | 2 |
| 1900s | 45.6% | 42.9% | 48.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 54.6% | 52.8% | 56.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 62.0% | 60.5% | 63.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 72.9% | 69.0% | 76.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 87.0% | 84.9% | 89.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 92.2% | 91.0% | 93.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 96.2% | 95.5% | 96.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 98.6% | 98.6% | 98.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 99.3% | 99.2% | 99.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 99.2% | 98.9% | 99.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 99.3% | 99.1% | 99.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 99.8% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 99.8% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More education data for Poland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 322,900 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,398 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 776,213 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 735,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.60 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Poland?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Poland was 99.8% 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.0% in 1870.
- How does Poland rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Poland ranks 3rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Poland 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.