Theoretical duration of early childhood education (years) (duration) in Sweden
Sweden: Theoretical duration of early childhood education (years) (duration) was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
10th
of 207 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1998
All-time low
6 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Sweden, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 6 years for theoretical duration of early childhood education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of early childhood education in Sweden peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1998.
Sweden ranks 10th of 207 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Theoretical duration of early childhood education (years) (duration) in Sweden, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 years | — |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +0.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 6 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 5 years, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 6 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6 years, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 10 United Arab Emirates 6 years compare
- 10 Argentina 6 years compare
- 10 Austria 6 years compare
- 10 Belgium 6 years compare
- 10 Bahrain 6 years compare
- 10 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 years compare
- 10 Brazil 6 years compare
- 10 Canada 6 years compare
- 10 Chile 6 years compare
- 10 Colombia 6 years compare
- 10 Costa Rica 6 years compare
- 10 Cuba 6 years compare
- 10 Curacao 6 years compare
- 10 Cyprus 6 years compare
- 10 Germany 6 years compare
- 10 Denmark 6 years compare
- 10 Spain 6 years compare
- 10 Finland 6 years compare
- 10 Georgia 6 years compare
- 10 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
- 10 Greece 6 years compare
- 10 Haiti 6 years compare
- 10 Iceland 6 years compare
- 10 Israel 6 years compare
- 10 Jamaica 6 years compare
- 10 Kyrgyzstan 6 years compare
- 10 Cambodia 6 years compare
- 10 South Korea 6 years compare
- 10 Laos 6 years compare
- 10 Latvia 6 years compare
- 10 Moldova 6 years compare
- 10 Mexico 6 years compare
- 10 Mauritania 6 years compare
- 10 Nicaragua 6 years compare
- 10 Norway 6 years compare
- 10 Oman 6 years compare
- 10 Panama 6 years compare
- 10 Peru 6 years compare
- 10 Puerto Rico 6 years compare
- 10 Qatar 6 years compare
- 10 Romania 6 years compare
- 10 Russia 6 years compare
- 10 Singapore 6 years compare
- 10 San Marino 6 years compare
- 10 Serbia 6 years compare
- 10 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 6 years compare
- 10 Turkey 6 years compare
- 10 Uruguay 6 years compare
- 10 Vietnam 6 years compare
- 10 Yemen 6 years compare
More education data for Sweden
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of early childhood education in Sweden?
- Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Sweden was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- How does Sweden rank for theoretical duration of early childhood education?
- Sweden ranks 10th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of early childhood education rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Theoretical duration of early childhood education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release