Share of population with no formal education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of population with no formal education was 0.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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 population with no formal education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 0.1%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 78.0% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2010.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 110th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 78.0% | — |
| 1875 | 77.0% | -1.3% |
| 1880 | 73.3% | -4.8% |
| 1885 | 68.0% | -7.2% |
| 1890 | 58.8% | -13.5% |
| 1895 | 51.4% | -12.6% |
| 1900 | 43.2% | -16.0% |
| 1905 | 34.2% | -20.8% |
| 1910 | 26.8% | -21.6% |
| 1915 | 20.9% | -22.0% |
| 1920 | 15.6% | -25.4% |
| 1925 | 10.9% | -30.1% |
| 1930 | 7.1% | -34.9% |
| 1935 | 4.5% | -36.6% |
| 1940 | 3.2% | -28.9% |
| 1945 | 2.2% | -31.2% |
| 1950 | 2.6% | +18.2% |
| 1955 | 2.3% | -11.5% |
| 1960 | 2.1% | -8.7% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.2% | +4.8% |
| 1975 | 2.3% | +4.5% |
| 1980 | 3.5% | +52.2% |
| 1985 | 3.4% | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.5% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -63.9% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -92.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 77.5% | 77.0% | 78.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 70.7% | 68.0% | 73.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 55.1% | 51.4% | 58.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 38.7% | 34.2% | 43.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 23.9% | 20.9% | 26.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 13.2% | 10.9% | 15.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 5.8% | 4.5% | 7.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 2.5% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.3% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Share of population with no formal education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.1% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 78.0% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2010.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for share of population with no formal education?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 110th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.