Average years of schooling among adults in Denmark
Denmark: Average years of schooling among adults was 13.03 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Denmark, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, average years of schooling among adults in Denmark stood at 13.03 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Denmark peaked at 13.16 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 11.48 years, in 1990.
That places Denmark 15th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.75 years | 11.48 years | 12.31 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.74 years | 12.47 years | 12.97 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.73 years | 12.39 years | 13.16 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.01 years | 12.96 years | 13.03 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More education data for Denmark
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.6% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 99.8% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 42,105 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.52 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Denmark?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Denmark was 13.03 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 13.16 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.48 years in 1990.
- How does Denmark rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Denmark ranks 15th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.