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Mean years of schooling

2814

No data

Global average

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Highest

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Lowest

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Overview

Mean years of schooling captures how much education a country's adults have actually completed. It ranges from around three years in the least-schooled countries to nearly fourteen in the most. This map shows it everywhere.

Key facts

The most-schooled countries average over 13 years of education.
The least average only 2–3 years.
It measures attainment among adults, so it lags improvements in schooling for children.

Common questions

What is mean years of schooling?

The average number of years of education completed by adults (usually aged 25 and over) in a country. It is a core component of the Human Development Index.

Why does it lag?

Because it measures today's adults, it reflects schooling from decades ago and improves slowly even when children's enrolment rises quickly.

Where does the data come from?

The UN Development Programme and related sources, compiled via Our World in Data.

Sources & methodology

Data from UNDP (via Our World in Data), compiled via Our World in Data. Global figures are population-weighted across the countries that report this measure; countries without reliable recent data are shown as “no data”.

Last updated: 3 August 2026.