Average years of schooling in Norway
Norway: Average years of schooling was 13 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in Norway, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average years of schooling in Norway is 13 years, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Norway peaked at 13 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.66 years, in 1880.
Norway ranks 13th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 5.68 years | — |
| 1880 | 5.66 years | -0.4% |
| 1890 | 5.71 years | +0.9% |
| 1900 | 5.77 years | +1.1% |
| 1913 | 5.98 years | +3.6% |
| 1925 | 6.37 years | +6.5% |
| 1929 | 6.48 years | +1.7% |
| 1933 | 6.67 years | +2.9% |
| 1938 | 6.95 years | +4.2% |
| 1950 | 7.55 years | +8.6% |
| 1955 | 8.09 years | +7.2% |
| 1960 | 8.83 years | +9.1% |
| 1965 | 9.49 years | +7.4% |
| 1970 | 10.04 years | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 10.72 years | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 11.3 years | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 11.7 years | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 12.1 years | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 12.36 years | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 12.41 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 12.45 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 12.6 years | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 12.75 years | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 13 years | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 5.68 years | 5.68 years | 5.68 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 5.66 years | 5.66 years | 5.66 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 5.71 years | 5.71 years | 5.71 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 5.77 years | 5.77 years | 5.77 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.98 years | 5.98 years | 5.98 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.43 years | 6.37 years | 6.48 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.81 years | 6.67 years | 6.95 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 7.82 years | 7.55 years | 8.09 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 9.16 years | 8.83 years | 9.49 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 10.38 years | 10.04 years | 10.72 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.5 years | 11.3 years | 11.7 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.23 years | 12.1 years | 12.36 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.43 years | 12.41 years | 12.45 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.67 years | 12.6 years | 12.75 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 80,636 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 469,508 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 434,422 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7841 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.078 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 434,422 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.7841 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in Norway?
- Average years of schooling in Norway was 13 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 13 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.66 years in 1880.
- How does Norway rank for average years of schooling?
- Norway ranks 13th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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.