Average years of schooling in Sweden
Sweden: Average years of schooling was 12.61 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in Sweden, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 12.61 years for average years of schooling in 2020. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Sweden peaked at 12.61 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.23 years, in 1870.
That places Sweden 25th out of 162 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Average years of schooling in Sweden, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 4.23 years | — |
| 1880 | 4.61 years | +9.0% |
| 1890 | 5.02 years | +8.9% |
| 1900 | 5.49 years | +9.4% |
| 1913 | 5.89 years | +7.3% |
| 1925 | 6.43 years | +9.2% |
| 1929 | 6.55 years | +1.8% |
| 1933 | 6.66 years | +1.7% |
| 1938 | 6.85 years | +2.9% |
| 1950 | 7.38 years | +7.7% |
| 1955 | 7.79 years | +5.6% |
| 1960 | 8.49 years | +9.0% |
| 1965 | 9.05 years | +6.6% |
| 1970 | 9.71 years | +7.3% |
| 1975 | 10.29 years | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 10.98 years | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 11.4 years | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 11.83 years | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 11.52 years | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 11.53 years | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 11.69 years | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 11.85 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 12.27 years | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 12.61 years | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 4.23 years | 4.23 years | 4.23 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 4.61 years | 4.61 years | 4.61 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 5.02 years | 5.02 years | 5.02 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 5.49 years | 5.49 years | 5.49 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.89 years | 5.89 years | 5.89 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.49 years | 6.43 years | 6.55 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 6.75 years | 6.66 years | 6.85 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 7.59 years | 7.38 years | 7.79 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 8.77 years | 8.49 years | 9.05 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 10 years | 9.71 years | 10.29 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.19 years | 10.98 years | 11.4 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 11.68 years | 11.52 years | 11.83 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.61 years | 11.53 years | 11.69 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.06 years | 11.85 years | 12.27 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.61 years | 12.61 years | 12.61 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 22 Australia 12.73 years compare
- 23 United Arab Emirates 12.69 years compare
- 24 Bahamas 12.64 years compare
- 26 Netherlands 12.58 years compare
- 27 Republic of Korea 12.51 years compare
- 28 Cuba 12.5 years compare
More education data for Sweden
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in Sweden?
- Average years of schooling in Sweden was 12.61 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 12.61 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.23 years in 1870.
- How does Sweden rank for average years of schooling?
- Sweden ranks 25th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.
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About this data
Average number of years of total schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for the population aged 15 and over.