Statizoid

Average years of schooling by country

Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.

Countries reporting
162
Highest
14.09 years
Germany
Lowest
2.11 years
Burkina Faso
Median
9.37 years
Years covered
151
1870–2020
Data points
3,421

What the numbers show

Average years of schooling is currently reported for 162 countries. The highest value is 14.09 years in Germany; the lowest is 2.11 years in Burkina Faso.

The median across all reporting countries is 9.37 years, and the mean is 9.02 years.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7.

Over the past decade 137 countries rose and 25 fell. The largest increase was in Congo, Democratic Republic of the (up 95.4%), and the largest decrease in Syria (down 36.2%).

Average years of schooling: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Germany 14.09 years 2020 up 8.6% rising
2 Switzerland 13.86 years 2020 up 9.0% rising
3 Canada 13.83 years 2020 up 5.8% rising
4 Iceland 13.77 years 2020 up 20.9% rising
5 United States 13.68 years 2020 up 0.5% rising
6 Estonia 13.55 years 2020 up 18.3% rising
7 Lithuania 13.5 years 2020 up 16.5% rising
8 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 13.41 years 2020 up 0.8% rising
9 Japan 13.37 years 2020 up 1.6% volatile
10 Israel 13.34 years 2020 up 12.0% rising
11 Latvia 13.25 years 2020 up 20.3% rising
12 Poland 13.16 years 2020 up 35.8% volatile
13 Norway 13 years 2020 up 3.2% rising
14 Denmark 12.96 years 2020 up 7.4% rising
15 New Zealand 12.94 years 2020 up 5.0% rising
16 Slovakia 12.91 years 2020 up 15.5% rising
17 Finland 12.87 years 2020 up 7.0% volatile
18 Czechia 12.87 years 2020 up 14.4% rising
19 Georgia 12.82 years 2020 up 17.6% rising
20 Slovenia 12.8 years 2020 up 7.7% rising
21 Russian Federation 12.77 years 2020 up 8.9% volatile
22 Australia 12.73 years 2020 down 3.1% rising
23 United Arab Emirates 12.69 years 2020 up 40.0% volatile
24 Bahamas 12.64 years 2020 up 6.6% rising
25 Sweden 12.61 years 2020 up 6.4% rising
26 Netherlands 12.58 years 2020 up 9.1% rising
27 Republic of Korea 12.51 years 2020 down 3.7% volatile
28 Cuba 12.5 years 2020 up 21.6% volatile
29 Cyprus 12.44 years 2020 up 27.6% rising
30 Belarus 12.38 years 2020 up 7.6% rising
31 Kazakhstan 12.35 years 2020 up 5.1% rising
32 Austria 12.26 years 2020 up 6.6% rising
33 Hungary 12.25 years 2020 up 9.5% rising
34 Hong Kong 12.23 years 2020 up 7.4% volatile
35 Malta 12.21 years 2020 up 16.1% rising
36 Croatia 12.19 years 2020 up 7.9% rising
37 Belgium 12.14 years 2020 up 7.6% rising
38 Taiwan 12 years 2020 up 8.2% volatile
39 Singapore 11.92 years 2020 up 13.2% volatile
40 Uzbekistan 11.9 years 2020 up 15.6% rising
41 Republic of Moldova 11.82 years 2020 up 18.4% rising
42 Oman 11.65 years 2020 up 47.0% volatile
43 Trinidad and Tobago 11.61 years 2020 up 21.6% rising
44 France 11.61 years 2020 down 6.8% rising
45 Ireland 11.58 years 2020 up 8.3% rising
46 Bulgaria 11.41 years 2020 up 1.2% rising
47 Greece 11.41 years 2020 up 6.6% rising
48 Kyrgyzstan 11.37 years 2020 up 11.1% rising
49 South Africa 11.37 years 2020 up 33.3% volatile
50 Serbia 11.37 years 2020 up 11.5% volatile
51 Tajikistan 11.33 years 2020 up 15.5% rising
52 Armenia 11.33 years 2020 up 4.7% rising
53 Saudi Arabia 11.31 years 2020 up 33.5% volatile
54 Albania 11.29 years 2020 up 13.7% volatile
55 Romania 11.28 years 2020 up 8.9% volatile
56 Argentina 11.15 years 2020 up 19.9% rising
57 Ukraine 11.13 years 2020 down 3.3% rising
58 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11.11 years 2020 up 46.1% volatile
59 Bahrain 11.05 years 2020 up 56.5% volatile
60 Chile 10.94 years 2020 up 5.5% volatile
61 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10.83 years 2020 up 25.7% rising
62 Sri Lanka 10.83 years 2020 up 16.4% volatile
63 Italy 10.74 years 2020 down 1.9% volatile
64 Malaysia 10.65 years 2020 up 10.5% volatile
65 Iran 10.64 years 2020 up 35.7% volatile
66 Spain 10.61 years 2020 up 3.4% rising
67 Azerbaijan 10.54 years 2020 down 2.4% rising
68 Panama 10.54 years 2020 up 16.3% rising
69 Jordan 10.45 years 2020 up 13.8% volatile
70 Mauritius 10.43 years 2020 up 33.2% volatile
71 Botswana 10.34 years 2020 up 4.6% volatile
72 Seychelles 10.28 years 2020 down 1.2% rising
73 Qatar 10 years 2020 up 18.6% volatile
74 Peru 9.89 years 2020 up 11.4% volatile
75 Barbados 9.85 years 2020 up 1.8% rising
76 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 9.83 years 2020 up 18.9% volatile
77 Suriname 9.78 years 2020 up 35.2% rising
78 Portugal 9.58 years 2020 up 22.5% volatile
79 Egypt 9.57 years 2020 up 24.0% volatile
80 Gabon 9.44 years 2020 up 25.8% volatile
81 Mongolia 9.42 years 2020 up 2.4% rising
82 Dominican Republic 9.31 years 2020 up 39.7% rising
83 Mexico 9.22 years 2020 up 8.7% volatile
84 Brunei Darussalam 9.18 years 2020 up 5.0% rising
85 Jamaica 9.15 years 2020 up 0.8% volatile
86 Uruguay 8.98 years 2020 up 3.1% rising
87 Philippines 8.97 years 2020 up 8.8% volatile
88 Colombia 8.86 years 2020 up 16.6% volatile
89 Paraguay 8.86 years 2020 up 15.1% rising
90 Belize 8.85 years 2020 down 21.6% rising
91 Ecuador 8.82 years 2020 up 2.8% volatile
92 Costa Rica 8.8 years 2020 up 4.8% rising
93 Lebanon 8.72 years 2020 down 0.1% volatile
94 Zimbabwe 8.71 years 2020 up 10.0% volatile
95 Thailand 8.7 years 2020 up 10.0% volatile
96 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.66 years 2020 up 3.3% rising
97 Türkiye 8.63 years 2020 up 27.9% volatile
98 Guyana 8.62 years 2020 down 3.6% rising
99 Indonesia 8.56 years 2020 up 12.4% volatile
100 Saint Lucia 8.55 years 2020 up 4.2% rising
101 Viet Nam 8.37 years 2020 up 28.1% volatile
102 Ghana 8.33 years 2020 up 48.5% volatile
103 Brazil 8.13 years 2020 down 0.1% volatile
104 Algeria 8.07 years 2020 up 10.5% volatile
105 Iraq 7.91 years 2020 up 16.6% volatile
106 China 7.6 years 2020 down 1.1% volatile
107 Libya 7.6 years 2020 down 5.9% volatile
108 Tunisia 7.43 years 2020 up 14.7% volatile
109 Bangladesh 7.38 years 2020 up 57.3% volatile
110 Kuwait 7.33 years 2020 up 15.6% volatile
111 Namibia 7.19 years 2020 up 17.4% volatile
112 Zambia 7.19 years 2020 up 7.3% volatile
113 Nigeria 7.18 years 2020 up 36.9% volatile
114 El Salvador 7.15 years 2020 up 20.6% volatile
115 Nicaragua 7.14 years 2020 up 1.3% volatile
116 Honduras 7.09 years 2020 up 22.4% volatile
117 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 7.02 years 2020 up 95.4% volatile
118 India 6.66 years 2020 up 37.5% volatile
119 Kenya 6.65 years 2020 up 3.0% volatile
120 Myanmar 6.38 years 2020 up 11.9% volatile
121 Tanzania, United Republic of 6.37 years 2020 up 24.7% volatile
122 Sao Tome and Principe 6.22 years 2020 up 33.4% volatile
123 Congo 6.17 years 2020 up 5.5% volatile
124 Cameroon 6.15 years 2020 up 4.1% volatile
125 Lesotho 6.01 years 2020 down 8.8% volatile
126 Morocco 5.92 years 2020 up 34.8% volatile
127 Equatorial Guinea 5.91 years 2020 up 10.2% rising
128 Uganda 5.73 years 2020 up 21.5% volatile
129 Guatemala 5.68 years 2020 up 3.3% volatile
130 Eswatini 5.6 years 2020 down 21.4% volatile
131 Haiti 5.55 years 2020 up 31.3% volatile
132 Angola 5.42 years 2020 up 14.6% volatile
133 Lao People's Democratic Republic 5.37 years 2020 down 2.7% volatile
134 Côte d'Ivoire 5.2 years 2020 up 23.6% volatile
135 Nepal 5.12 years 2020 up 17.3% volatile
136 Madagascar 5.12 years 2020 down 0.9% volatile
137 Syria 5.1 years 2020 down 36.2% volatile
138 Cambodia 5.09 years 2020 down 13.7% volatile
139 Liberia 5.08 years 2020 up 29.2% volatile
140 Togo 5.02 years 2020 up 2.2% volatile
141 Mauritania 4.92 years 2020 up 9.6% volatile
142 Eritrea 4.89 years 2020 up 43.3% volatile
143 Gambia 4.64 years 2020 up 28.9% volatile
144 Sierra Leone 4.58 years 2020 up 14.7% volatile
145 Pakistan 4.54 years 2020 down 6.9% rising
146 Malawi 4.49 years 2020 down 5.9% volatile
147 Rwanda 4.43 years 2020 up 27.2% volatile
148 Central African Republic 4.33 years 2020 up 22.6% volatile
149 Benin 4.3 years 2020 up 33.2% volatile
150 Sudan 3.82 years 2020 up 19.0% volatile
151 Guinea-Bissau 3.58 years 2020 up 55.8% volatile
152 Ethiopia 3.2 years 2020 up 47.1% volatile
153 Yemen 3.2 years 2020 down 13.0% volatile
154 Mozambique 3.2 years 2020 up 19.3% volatile
155 Burundi 3.13 years 2020 up 16.5% volatile
156 Senegal 2.94 years 2020 down 1.7% volatile
157 Afghanistan 2.85 years 2020 down 25.1% volatile
158 Chad 2.57 years 2020 up 70.6% volatile
159 Mali 2.31 years 2020 up 16.2% volatile
160 Guinea 2.2 years 2020 down 34.2% volatile
161 Niger 2.12 years 2020 up 61.6% volatile
162 Burkina Faso 2.11 years 2020 up 48.1% volatile

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Average years of schooling by country. Statizoid, drawing on Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/years-of-schooling-prados-de-la-escosura/

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About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling
Unit
years
Source
Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
163 places, 3,421 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.