Average years of schooling in Switzerland
Switzerland: Average years of schooling was 13.86 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland stood at 13.86 years. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in Switzerland peaked at 13.86 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.07 years, in 1870.
Switzerland ranks 2nd 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 6.07 years | — |
| 1880 | 6.59 years | +8.6% |
| 1890 | 6.91 years | +4.9% |
| 1900 | 7.29 years | +5.5% |
| 1913 | 7.55 years | +3.6% |
| 1925 | 8.05 years | +6.6% |
| 1929 | 8.3 years | +3.1% |
| 1933 | 8.56 years | +3.2% |
| 1938 | 8.83 years | +3.1% |
| 1950 | 9.4 years | +6.5% |
| 1955 | 9.67 years | +2.9% |
| 1960 | 10.03 years | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 10.71 years | +6.8% |
| 1970 | 11.19 years | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 11.61 years | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 12.13 years | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 12.5 years | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 12.76 years | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 12.69 years | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 12.62 years | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 12.72 years | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.71 years | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 13.37 years | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 13.86 years | +3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 6.07 years | 6.07 years | 6.07 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 6.59 years | 6.59 years | 6.59 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 6.91 years | 6.91 years | 6.91 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 7.29 years | 7.29 years | 7.29 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 7.55 years | 7.55 years | 7.55 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 8.17 years | 8.05 years | 8.3 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 8.7 years | 8.56 years | 8.83 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 9.53 years | 9.4 years | 9.67 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 10.37 years | 10.03 years | 10.71 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 11.4 years | 11.19 years | 11.61 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 12.31 years | 12.13 years | 12.5 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.72 years | 12.69 years | 12.76 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.67 years | 12.62 years | 12.72 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.04 years | 12.71 years | 13.37 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 13.86 years | 13.86 years | 13.86 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More education data for Switzerland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 68,266 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 5,583 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,990 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 89,549 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 636,381 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 556,945 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0618 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in Switzerland?
- Average years of schooling in Switzerland was 13.86 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 13.86 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.07 years in 1870.
- How does Switzerland rank for average years of schooling?
- Switzerland ranks 2nd out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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
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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.