Average years of schooling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Average years of schooling was 13.41 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 13.41 years. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 13.41 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.59 years, in 1870.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 8th out of 162 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Average years of schooling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3.59 years | — |
| 1880 | 4.37 years | +21.7% |
| 1890 | 4.84 years | +10.8% |
| 1900 | 5.33 years | +10.1% |
| 1913 | 5.86 years | +9.9% |
| 1925 | 6.46 years | +10.2% |
| 1929 | 6.7 years | +3.7% |
| 1933 | 7 years | +4.4% |
| 1938 | 7.2 years | +2.9% |
| 1950 | 7.74 years | +7.5% |
| 1955 | 8.33 years | +7.6% |
| 1960 | 8.92 years | +7.1% |
| 1965 | 9.59 years | +7.5% |
| 1970 | 10.15 years | +5.9% |
| 1975 | 10.79 years | +6.4% |
| 1980 | 11.44 years | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 11.89 years | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 12.24 years | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 12.65 years | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 13.07 years | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 13.19 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 13.3 years | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 13.28 years | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 13.41 years | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3.59 years | 3.59 years | 3.59 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 4.37 years | 4.37 years | 4.37 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 4.84 years | 4.84 years | 4.84 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 5.33 years | 5.33 years | 5.33 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 5.86 years | 5.86 years | 5.86 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 6.58 years | 6.46 years | 6.7 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 7.1 years | 7 years | 7.2 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 8.04 years | 7.74 years | 8.33 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 9.25 years | 8.92 years | 9.59 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 10.47 years | 10.15 years | 10.79 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.67 years | 11.44 years | 11.89 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.45 years | 12.24 years | 12.65 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.13 years | 13.07 years | 13.19 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.29 years | 13.28 years | 13.3 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 13.41 years | 13.41 years | 13.41 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Average years of schooling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 13.41 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 13.41 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.59 years in 1870.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for average years of schooling?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 8th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is average years of schooling rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.