Countries ranked by mean years of schooling
Every country ranked by mean years of schooling, highest to lowest. Ireland tops the list at 13.7 yrs; Niger is lowest at 3.0 yrs.
See it on the interactive mappublicHighest
- 1Ireland13.7 yrs
- 2South Korea13.7 yrs
- 3Iceland13.5 yrs
- 4United States13.3 yrs
- 5Germany13.1 yrs
Lowest
- 146Niger3.0 yrs
- 145Mali3.5 yrs
- 144Mozambique4.2 yrs
- 143Senegal4.4 yrs
- 142Sudan4.4 yrs
Full ranking — all 146 countries
| # | Country | Mean years of schooling | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 13.7 yrs | |
| 2 | South Korea | 13.7 yrs | |
| 3 | Iceland | 13.5 yrs | |
| 4 | United States | 13.3 yrs | |
| 5 | Germany | 13.1 yrs | |
| 6 | Singapore | 13.1 yrs | |
| 7 | Slovakia | 13.1 yrs | |
| 8 | Switzerland | 13.0 yrs | |
| 9 | Australia | 12.9 yrs | |
| 10 | Canada | 12.9 yrs | |
| 11 | Czechia | 12.9 yrs | |
| 12 | United Kingdom | 12.9 yrs | |
| 13 | Hong Kong | 12.8 yrs | |
| 14 | Japan | 12.8 yrs | |
| 15 | Taiwan | 12.8 yrs | |
| 16 | Lithuania | 12.5 yrs | |
| 17 | Cyprus | 12.4 yrs | |
| 18 | Estonia | 12.3 yrs | |
| 19 | Malta | 12.1 yrs | |
| 20 | Norway | 12.1 yrs | |
| 21 | Slovenia | 12.1 yrs | |
| 22 | Croatia | 12.0 yrs | |
| 23 | Hungary | 12.0 yrs | |
| 24 | Israel | 12.0 yrs | |
| 25 | Latvia | 12.0 yrs | |
| 26 | Malaysia | 12.0 yrs | |
| 27 | Poland | 12.0 yrs | |
| 28 | France | 11.9 yrs | |
| 29 | Greece | 11.9 yrs | |
| 30 | Sweden | 11.9 yrs | |
| 31 | Kazakhstan | 11.8 yrs | |
| 32 | Netherlands | 11.8 yrs | |
| 33 | Denmark | 11.7 yrs | |
| 34 | Serbia | 11.7 yrs | |
| 35 | Belgium | 11.6 yrs | |
| 36 | Cuba | 11.6 yrs | |
| 37 | Russia | 11.6 yrs | |
| 38 | Spain | 11.5 yrs | |
| 39 | Fiji | 11.5 yrs | |
| 40 | Italy | 11.5 yrs | |
| 41 | Luxembourg | 11.5 yrs | |
| 42 | Tonga | 11.4 yrs | |
| 43 | Romania | 11.3 yrs | |
| 44 | Trinidad and Tobago | 11.3 yrs | |
| 45 | Kyrgyzstan | 11.2 yrs | |
| 46 | Finland | 11.1 yrs | |
| 47 | Macao | 11.0 yrs | |
| 48 | Bulgaria | 10.8 yrs | |
| 49 | Jordan | 10.8 yrs | |
| 50 | Moldova | 10.8 yrs | |
| 51 | New Zealand | 10.8 yrs | |
| 52 | Ukraine | 10.8 yrs | |
| 53 | Belize | 10.7 yrs | |
| 54 | Chile | 10.7 yrs | |
| 55 | Botswana | 10.6 yrs | |
| 56 | Armenia | 10.5 yrs | |
| 57 | South Africa | 10.5 yrs | |
| 58 | Austria | 10.4 yrs | |
| 59 | Mauritius | 10.4 yrs | |
| 60 | Panama | 10.4 yrs | |
| 61 | Albania | 10.3 yrs | |
| 62 | Sri Lanka | 10.3 yrs | |
| 63 | Colombia | 10.2 yrs | |
| 64 | Gabon | 10.2 yrs | |
| 65 | Mexico | 10.2 yrs | |
| 66 | Jamaica | 10.1 yrs | |
| 67 | Tajikistan | 10.1 yrs | |
| 68 | Mongolia | 10.0 yrs | |
| 69 | Peru | 10.0 yrs | |
| 70 | Argentina | 9.9 yrs | |
| 71 | Saudi Arabia | 9.9 yrs | |
| 72 | Iran | 9.8 yrs | |
| 73 | Barbados | 9.7 yrs | |
| 74 | United Arab Emirates | 9.6 yrs | |
| 75 | Libya | 9.6 yrs | |
| 76 | Portugal | 9.6 yrs | |
| 77 | Philippines | 9.4 yrs | |
| 78 | Brunei | 9.3 yrs | |
| 79 | Thailand | 9.3 yrs | |
| 80 | Tunisia | 9.3 yrs | |
| 81 | Venezuela | 9.3 yrs | |
| 82 | Bolivia | 9.1 yrs | |
| 83 | Costa Rica | 9.1 yrs | |
| 84 | Ecuador | 9.1 yrs | |
| 85 | Indonesia | 9.1 yrs | |
| 86 | China | 9.0 yrs | |
| 87 | Dominican Republic | 9.0 yrs | |
| 88 | Paraguay | 8.8 yrs | |
| 89 | Uruguay | 8.8 yrs | |
| 90 | Reunion | 8.7 yrs | |
| 91 | Guyana | 8.5 yrs | |
| 92 | Qatar | 8.5 yrs | |
| 93 | Turkey | 8.5 yrs | |
| 94 | Ghana | 8.4 yrs | |
| 95 | Zambia | 8.4 yrs | |
| 96 | Iraq | 8.3 yrs | |
| 97 | Vietnam | 8.3 yrs | |
| 98 | Zimbabwe | 8.3 yrs | |
| 99 | Bahrain | 8.2 yrs | |
| 100 | Algeria | 8.2 yrs | |
| 101 | Maldives | 8.1 yrs | |
| 102 | El Salvador | 8.1 yrs | |
| 103 | Brazil | 8.0 yrs | |
| 104 | Egypt | 8.0 yrs | |
| 105 | Syria | 7.9 yrs | |
| 106 | India | 7.8 yrs | |
| 107 | Nicaragua | 7.8 yrs | |
| 108 | Togo | 7.7 yrs | |
| 109 | Honduras | 7.5 yrs | |
| 110 | Cameroon | 7.4 yrs | |
| 111 | Bangladesh | 7.2 yrs | |
| 112 | Lesotho | 6.9 yrs | |
| 113 | Namibia | 6.9 yrs | |
| 114 | Tanzania | 6.9 yrs | |
| 115 | Morocco | 6.8 yrs | |
| 116 | Congo | 6.7 yrs | |
| 117 | Kenya | 6.7 yrs | |
| 118 | Uganda | 6.7 yrs | |
| 119 | Kuwait | 6.6 yrs | |
| 120 | Myanmar | 6.5 yrs | |
| 121 | Eswatini | 6.5 yrs | |
| 122 | Pakistan | 6.4 yrs | |
| 123 | Benin | 6.3 yrs | |
| 124 | Guatemala | 6.3 yrs | |
| 125 | Nepal | 6.2 yrs | |
| 126 | Cote d'Ivoire | 6.0 yrs | |
| 127 | Haiti | 6.0 yrs | |
| 128 | Laos | 6.0 yrs | |
| 129 | Cambodia | 5.8 yrs | |
| 130 | Liberia | 5.8 yrs | |
| 131 | Afghanistan | 5.7 yrs | |
| 132 | Yemen | 5.6 yrs | |
| 133 | Mauritania | 5.5 yrs | |
| 134 | Malawi | 5.4 yrs | |
| 135 | Rwanda | 5.2 yrs | |
| 136 | Burundi | 5.0 yrs | |
| 137 | Sierra Leone | 5.0 yrs | |
| 138 | Gambia | 4.9 yrs | |
| 139 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 4.8 yrs | |
| 140 | Papua New Guinea | 4.8 yrs | |
| 141 | Central African Republic | 4.6 yrs | |
| 142 | Sudan | 4.4 yrs | |
| 143 | Senegal | 4.4 yrs | |
| 144 | Mozambique | 4.2 yrs | |
| 145 | Mali | 3.5 yrs | |
| 146 | Niger | 3.0 yrs |
Common questions
Which country has the highest mean years of schooling?
Ireland, at 13.7 yrs — the highest of all 146 countries with data.
Which country has the lowest mean years of schooling?
Niger, at 3.0 yrs, ranks lowest among the 146 countries in this list.
How many countries are ranked?
146 countries and territories with recent data are included, ordered from highest to lowest.
Where does the data come from?
UNDP (via Our World in Data). The ranking updates as new data is published.
Source: UNDP (via Our World in Data). See the data on the interactive mean years of schooling map, or browse all country rankings.
Last updated: 3 August 2026.