Share of the population with at least some formal education in Russia
Russia: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 99.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
99.0%
World rank
23rd
of 111 countries
All-time high
99.7%
in 2005
All-time low
5.0%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Russia, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Russia recorded 99.0% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Russia peaked at 99.7% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 1870.
That places Russia 23rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Russia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 5.0% | — |
| 1875 | 6.0% | +20.0% |
| 1880 | 6.9% | +15.0% |
| 1885 | 7.8% | +13.0% |
| 1890 | 8.8% | +12.8% |
| 1895 | 10.5% | +19.3% |
| 1900 | 13.4% | +27.6% |
| 1905 | 19.1% | +42.5% |
| 1910 | 22.9% | +19.9% |
| 1915 | 28.9% | +26.2% |
| 1920 | 32.9% | +13.8% |
| 1925 | 38.5% | +17.0% |
| 1930 | 45.5% | +18.2% |
| 1935 | 57.8% | +27.0% |
| 1940 | 71.2% | +23.2% |
| 1945 | 79.6% | +11.8% |
| 1950 | 85.2% | +7.0% |
| 1955 | 89.4% | +4.9% |
| 1960 | 91.6% | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 93.6% | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 95.7% | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 95.8% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 96.7% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 97.5% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 97.9% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 98.9% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 99.6% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 99.7% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 99.5% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 99.1% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 99.0% | -0.1% |
Russia compared with similar countries
- Russia's 99.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Russia's 99.0% 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 | 5.5% | 5.0% | 6.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 7.3% | 6.9% | 7.8% | 2 |
| 1890s | 9.7% | 8.8% | 10.5% | 2 |
| 1900s | 16.2% | 13.4% | 19.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 25.9% | 22.9% | 28.9% | 2 |
| 1920s | 35.7% | 32.9% | 38.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 51.6% | 45.5% | 57.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 75.4% | 71.2% | 79.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 87.3% | 85.2% | 89.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 92.6% | 91.6% | 93.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 95.8% | 95.7% | 95.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 97.1% | 96.7% | 97.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 98.4% | 97.9% | 98.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 99.7% | 99.6% | 99.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 99.3% | 99.1% | 99.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More education data for Russia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.34 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,277 (2019)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 3.36 million (2019)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.14 million (2019)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 10.80 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.55 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.6461 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0525 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Russia?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Russia was 99.0% 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 Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 1870.
- How does Russia rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Russia ranks 23rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Russia 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.