Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Norway
Norway: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 31.8 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
31.8
World rank
16th
of 111 countries
All-time high
32.9
in 2010
All-time low
0.5
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Norway, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Norway stood at 31.8.
The figure is down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Norway peaked at 32.9 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.5, in 1870.
That places Norway 16th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.5 | — |
| 1875 | 0.5 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.5 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.5 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.6 | +20.0% |
| 1895 | 0.7 | +16.7% |
| 1900 | 0.7 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.7 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.9 | +28.6% |
| 1915 | 1 | +11.1% |
| 1920 | 1.1 | +10.0% |
| 1925 | 1.3 | +18.2% |
| 1930 | 1.3 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 1.4 | +7.7% |
| 1940 | 1.5 | +7.1% |
| 1945 | 1.5 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1.5 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1.8 | +20.0% |
| 1960 | 2 | +11.1% |
| 1965 | 4.7 | +135.0% |
| 1970 | 8.4 | +78.7% |
| 1975 | 10.6 | +26.2% |
| 1980 | 14.2 | +34.0% |
| 1985 | 17.5 | +23.2% |
| 1990 | 22 | +25.7% |
| 1995 | 24.2 | +10.0% |
| 2000 | 28.7 | +18.6% |
| 2005 | 31.4 | +9.4% |
| 2010 | 32.9 | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 31.5 | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 31.8 | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.65 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.95 | 0.9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1920s | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.35 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.65 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.35 | 2 | 4.7 | 2 |
| 1970s | 9.5 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 2 |
| 1980s | 15.85 | 14.2 | 17.5 | 2 |
| 1990s | 23.1 | 22 | 24.2 | 2 |
| 2000s | 30.05 | 28.7 | 31.4 | 2 |
| 2010s | 32.2 | 31.5 | 32.9 | 2 |
| 2020s | 31.8 | 31.8 | 31.8 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 51,889 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 98.54 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 98.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with completed tertiary education in Norway?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Norway was 31.8 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 32.9 in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5 in 1870.
- How does Norway rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Norway ranks 16th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary 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).