Years of schooling in Sweden
Sweden: Years of schooling was 12.74 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
12.74
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
24th
of 192 countries
All-time high
12.74
in 2021
All-time low
9.55
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Years of schooling in Sweden, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for years of schooling in Sweden is 12.74, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, years of schooling in Sweden peaked at 12.74 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.55, in 1990.
That places Sweden 24th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Years of schooling in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9.55 | — |
| 1991 | 9.71 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 10.02 | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 10.21 | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 10.36 | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 10.53 | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 10.71 | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 10.9 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 11.08 | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 11.26 | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 11.45 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 11.63 | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 11.81 | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 12 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 12.18 | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 12.26 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 12.33 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 12.4 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 12.07 | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 12.14 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 12.21 | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 12.28 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 12.34 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 12.23 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 12.29 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 12.35 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 12.41 | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 12.49 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 12.55 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 12.61 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 12.68 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 12.74 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 12.74 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12.74 | +0.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 12.74 is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.39, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 12.74 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.34, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.43 | 9.55 | 11.26 | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.03 | 11.45 | 12.4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.38 | 12.21 | 12.61 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.72 | 12.68 | 12.74 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is years of schooling in Sweden?
- Years of schooling in Sweden was 12.74 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest years of schooling recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 12.74 in 2021.
- What is the lowest years of schooling recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.55 in 1990.
- How does Sweden rank for years of schooling?
- Sweden ranks 24th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is years of schooling rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).