Average years of schooling in Denmark
Denmark: Average years of schooling was 12.96 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in Denmark, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2020, average years of schooling in Denmark stood at 12.96 years. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Denmark peaked at 12.96 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.69 years, in 1870.
Denmark ranks 14th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Average years of schooling in Denmark, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 4.69 years | — |
| 1880 | 4.94 years | +5.3% |
| 1890 | 5.25 years | +6.3% |
| 1900 | 5.61 years | +6.9% |
| 1913 | 5.96 years | +6.2% |
| 1925 | 6.42 years | +7.7% |
| 1929 | 6.62 years | +3.1% |
| 1933 | 6.78 years | +2.3% |
| 1938 | 6.93 years | +2.3% |
| 1950 | 7.61 years | +9.8% |
| 1955 | 8.13 years | +6.8% |
| 1960 | 8.85 years | +8.9% |
| 1965 | 9.24 years | +4.4% |
| 1970 | 9.84 years | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 10.32 years | +4.9% |
| 1980 | 10.81 years | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 11.16 years | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 11.4 years | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 11.76 years | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 12.02 years | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 12.36 years | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 12.07 years | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 12.7 years | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 12.96 years | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 4.69 years | 4.69 years | 4.69 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 4.94 years | 4.94 years | 4.94 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 5.25 years | 5.25 years | 5.25 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 5.61 years | 5.61 years | 5.61 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.96 years | 5.96 years | 5.96 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.52 years | 6.42 years | 6.62 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.85 years | 6.78 years | 6.93 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 7.87 years | 7.61 years | 8.13 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 9.04 years | 8.85 years | 9.24 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 10.08 years | 9.84 years | 10.32 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.98 years | 10.81 years | 11.16 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 11.58 years | 11.4 years | 11.76 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.19 years | 12.02 years | 12.36 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.39 years | 12.07 years | 12.7 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.96 years | 12.96 years | 12.96 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More education data for Denmark
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 210,251 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.788 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0352 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 221,987 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.9199 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0371 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 522,143 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.9671 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,105 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in Denmark?
- Average years of schooling in Denmark was 12.96 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 12.96 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.69 years in 1870.
- How does Denmark rank for average years of schooling?
- Denmark ranks 14th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.