Share of population with no formal education in Norway
Norway: Share of population with no formal education was 7.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
7.7%
World rank
36th
of 111 countries
All-time high
37.7%
in 1870
All-time low
0.1%
in 1990
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of population with no formal education in Norway, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Norway recorded 7.7% for share of population with no formal education in 2020.
The figure is up 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Norway peaked at 37.7% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1990.
That places Norway 36th 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 population with no formal education in Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 37.7% | — |
| 1875 | 35.2% | -6.6% |
| 1880 | 32.8% | -6.8% |
| 1885 | 30.5% | -7.0% |
| 1890 | 28.3% | -7.2% |
| 1895 | 25.0% | -11.7% |
| 1900 | 21.6% | -13.6% |
| 1905 | 17.5% | -19.0% |
| 1910 | 14.3% | -18.3% |
| 1915 | 11.2% | -21.7% |
| 1920 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 8.9% | -20.5% |
| 1930 | 7.1% | -20.2% |
| 1935 | 5.7% | -19.7% |
| 1940 | 4.7% | -17.5% |
| 1945 | 3.6% | -23.4% |
| 1950 | 3.5% | -2.8% |
| 1955 | 2.9% | -17.1% |
| 1960 | 2.1% | -27.6% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 0.7% | -65.0% |
| 1975 | 2.3% | +228.6% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | -4.3% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | -63.6% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -87.5% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +1400.0% |
| 2010 | 6.6% | +120.0% |
| 2015 | 7.3% | +10.6% |
| 2020 | 7.7% | +5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 36.5% | 35.2% | 37.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 31.6% | 30.5% | 32.8% | 2 |
| 1890s | 26.6% | 25.0% | 28.3% | 2 |
| 1900s | 19.6% | 17.5% | 21.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 12.8% | 11.2% | 14.3% | 2 |
| 1920s | 10.1% | 8.9% | 11.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.4% | 5.7% | 7.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 4.2% | 3.6% | 4.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 0.7% | 2.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 0.8% | 2.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 0.2% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.9% | 6.6% | 7.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 469,508 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5663 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 51,889 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7534 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 226,331 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.6775 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 243,177 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.4631 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 165,918 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -1.2 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Norway?
- Share of population with no formal education in Norway was 7.7% 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 population with no formal education recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 37.7% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1990.
- How does Norway rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Norway ranks 36th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Norway 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 population with no 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
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.