Share of the population with at least some formal education in Serbia
Serbia: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 98.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Serbia, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Serbia recorded 98.8% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Serbia peaked at 99.1% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1870.
That places Serbia 32nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Serbia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 1.7% | — |
| 1875 | 2.1% | +23.5% |
| 1880 | 2.8% | +33.3% |
| 1885 | 3.9% | +39.3% |
| 1890 | 5.3% | +35.9% |
| 1895 | 7.0% | +32.1% |
| 1900 | 12.8% | +82.9% |
| 1905 | 18.4% | +43.7% |
| 1910 | 23.6% | +28.3% |
| 1915 | 33.7% | +42.8% |
| 1920 | 38.6% | +14.5% |
| 1925 | 44.6% | +15.5% |
| 1930 | 50.1% | +12.3% |
| 1935 | 55.6% | +11.0% |
| 1940 | 59.7% | +7.4% |
| 1945 | 62.7% | +5.0% |
| 1950 | 65.9% | +5.1% |
| 1955 | 70.0% | +6.2% |
| 1960 | 74.4% | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 79.7% | +7.1% |
| 1970 | 84.1% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 86.7% | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 89.4% | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 90.9% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 92.7% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 96.1% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 97.9% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 98.5% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 99.1% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.8% | -0.3% |
Serbia compared with similar countries
- Serbia's 98.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Serbia's 98.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 100% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal education in Serbia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | +82.9% | 7.0% | 12.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 3.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 6.2% | 5.3% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 15.6% | 12.8% | 18.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 28.7% | 23.6% | 33.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 41.6% | 38.6% | 44.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 52.9% | 50.1% | 55.6% | 2 |
| 1940s | 61.2% | 59.7% | 62.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 68.0% | 65.9% | 70.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 77.1% | 74.4% | 79.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 85.4% | 84.1% | 86.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 90.2% | 89.4% | 90.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 94.4% | 92.7% | 96.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 98.2% | 97.9% | 98.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 99.1% | 99.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.8% | 98.8% | 98.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Serbia
More education data for Serbia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 67,944 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 530 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 89,461 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 84,207 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 478,731 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 251,941 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.2155 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0383 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Serbia?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Serbia was 98.8% 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 Serbia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Serbia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1870.
- How does Serbia rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Serbia ranks 32nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Serbia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Serbia 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
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About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.