Share of the population with lower secondary education in Sweden
Sweden: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 95.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Sweden, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 95.4% for share of the population with lower secondary education in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Sweden peaked at 96.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 43.3%, in 1970.
That places Sweden 24th out of 135 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 43.3% | — |
| 1974 | 48.8% | +12.8% |
| 1979 | 58.4% | +19.6% |
| 1986 | 64.1% | +9.7% |
| 1987 | 65.6% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 67.1% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 68.6% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 70.4% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 71.8% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 74.1% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 75.6% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 76.9% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 78.1% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 88.4% | +13.1% |
| 2005 | 89.1% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 89.8% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 90.4% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 85.8% | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 86.4% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 87.1% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 87.7% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 88.3% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 88.9% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 89.5% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 90.0% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 90.5% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 91.1% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 95.8% | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 92.0% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 96.4% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 94.5% | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 94.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 95.4% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 50.2% | 43.3% | 58.4% | 3 |
| 1980s | 66.3% | 64.1% | 68.6% | 4 |
| 1990s | 74.5% | 70.4% | 78.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 88.3% | 85.8% | 90.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 90.1% | 87.1% | 95.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.2% | 94.5% | 96.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 475,871 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.2103 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 458,336 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -2.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 494,296 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 58,504 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 13,047 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 300,133 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.19 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Sweden?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Sweden was 95.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 96.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.3% in 1970.
- How does Sweden rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Sweden ranks 24th out of 135 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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 lower secondary education. 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 lower secondary education or higher.