Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in Switzerland
Switzerland: Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher was 41.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in Switzerland, 1980–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 41.6% for share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in 2024. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 22.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in Switzerland peaked at 41.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 1980.
That places Switzerland 27th out of 110 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.8% | — |
| 2009 | 33.7% | +212.2% |
| 2010 | 36.1% | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 36.4% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 37.8% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 34.1% | -9.7% |
| 2015 | 35.5% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 36.6% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 37.9% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 39.0% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 39.6% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 40.4% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 40.0% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 40.0% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 41.3% | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 41.6% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.8% | 10.8% | 10.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 33.7% | 33.7% | 33.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 34.1% | 39.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 40.6% | 40.0% | 41.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More education data for Switzerland
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 58,349 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in Switzerland?
- Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher in Switzerland was 41.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with post-secondary education or higher recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 41.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population with post-secondary education or higher recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 1980.
- How does Switzerland rank for share of the population with post-secondary education or higher?
- Switzerland ranks 27th out of 110 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with post-secondary education or higher rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed post-secondary or tertiary education.