Average years of schooling among adults in Norway
Norway: Average years of schooling among adults was 13.12 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Norway, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Norway recorded 13.12 years for average years of schooling among adults in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Norway peaked at 13.12 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.71 years, in 1990.
Norway ranks 13th of 192 countries on this measure, 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 | 11.88 years | 11.71 years | 12.04 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.28 years | 12.08 years | 12.5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.77 years | 12.55 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.1 years | 13.06 years | 13.12 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.0% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.9% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 98.5% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 51,889 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.41 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 98.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Norway?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Norway was 13.12 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 13.12 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.71 years in 1990.
- How does Norway rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Norway ranks 13th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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.