Share of the population with at least some formal education in Sweden
Sweden: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 96.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
96.9%
World rank
58th
of 111 countries
All-time high
99.1%
in 1955
All-time low
78.3%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Sweden, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with at least some formal education in Sweden is 96.9%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Sweden peaked at 99.1% in 1955 and was at its lowest, 78.3%, in 1870.
That places Sweden 58th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 78.3% | — |
| 1875 | 79.9% | +2.0% |
| 1880 | 81.8% | +2.4% |
| 1885 | 83.4% | +2.0% |
| 1890 | 84.9% | +1.8% |
| 1895 | 86.3% | +1.6% |
| 1900 | 87.6% | +1.5% |
| 1905 | 88.8% | +1.4% |
| 1910 | 90.1% | +1.5% |
| 1915 | 91.9% | +2.0% |
| 1920 | 93.5% | +1.7% |
| 1925 | 94.8% | +1.4% |
| 1930 | 95.1% | +0.3% |
| 1935 | 96.2% | +1.2% |
| 1940 | 97.1% | +0.9% |
| 1945 | 98.0% | +0.9% |
| 1950 | 98.6% | +0.6% |
| 1955 | 99.1% | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 99.0% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 98.3% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 98.5% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 98.4% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 97.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 97.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 98.0% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 97.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 97.2% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 96.9% | -0.3% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 96.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 98% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 96.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.0%, 98% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 79.1% | 78.3% | 79.9% | 2 |
| 1880s | 82.6% | 81.8% | 83.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 85.6% | 84.9% | 86.3% | 2 |
| 1900s | 88.2% | 87.6% | 88.8% | 2 |
| 1910s | 91.0% | 90.1% | 91.9% | 2 |
| 1920s | 94.2% | 93.5% | 94.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 95.7% | 95.1% | 96.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 97.5% | 97.1% | 98.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 98.8% | 98.6% | 99.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 98.6% | 98.3% | 98.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 98.5% | 98.4% | 98.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 97.8% | 97.8% | 97.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 98.0% | 98.0% | 98.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 97.5% | 97.2% | 97.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 96.9% | 96.9% | 96.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Sweden?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Sweden was 96.9% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 1955.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.3% in 1870.
- How does Sweden rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Sweden ranks 58th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.