Education Rankings by Country

Last updated May 19, 2025

Education Index
Inequality-adjusted Education Index 2022
Mean Years of Schooling 2023
Top
Last
Education Index 2022Question Mark
1IcelandIceland0.960
2GermanyGermany0.957
3NorwayNorway0.937
4United KingdomUnited Kingdom0.936
5DenmarkDenmark0.933
6New ZealandNew Zealand0.930
6FinlandFinland0.930
8SwitzerlandSwitzerland0.924
9SwedenSweden0.923
9AustraliaAustralia0.923
11NetherlandsNetherlands0.920
12BelgiumBelgium0.917
13SloveniaSlovenia0.913
14PalauPalau0.911
15United StatesUnited States0.909
16CanadaCanada0.908
17LithuaniaLithuania0.906
18LatviaLatvia0.904
18United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates0.904
18Hong KongHong Kong0.904
21EstoniaEstonia0.892
22IrelandIreland0.890
23GeorgiaGeorgia0.887
24Czech RepublicCzech Republic0.883
25Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands0.882
25PolandPoland0.882
27GreeceGreece0.880
28South KoreaSouth Korea0.878
29ArgentinaArgentina0.870
30SingaporeSingapore0.866
30AustriaAustria0.866
32CyprusCyprus0.863
32IsraelIsrael0.863
34Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and Nevis0.860
35JapanJapan0.854
36RussiaRussia0.849
37MaltaMalta0.848
37SpainSpain0.848
39LiechtensteinLiechtenstein0.844
40CroatiaCroatia0.843
41SlovakiaSlovakia0.842
42MontenegroMontenegro0.839
43ChileChile0.837
44FranceFrance0.834
45LuxembourgLuxembourg0.828
46HungaryHungary0.826
47KazakhstanKazakhstan0.824
48ItalyItaly0.821
49BahrainBahrain0.819
49Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines0.819
51TongaTonga0.816
52MoldovaMoldova0.807
53Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia0.799
54BelarusBelarus0.796
55TurkeyTurkey0.793
56GrenadaGrenada0.791
57BarbadosBarbados0.788
58PortugalPortugal0.787
58UruguayUruguay0.787
60SerbiaSerbia0.786
61South AfricaSouth Africa0.784
62RomaniaRomania0.783
63Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago0.782
64Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda0.781
65ArmeniaArmenia0.777
66BulgariaBulgaria0.766
67KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan0.761
68SeychellesSeychelles0.759
69OmanOman0.758
70BahamasBahamas0.754
71CubaCuba0.753
72Sri LankaSri Lanka0.751
73IranIran0.748
74PeruPeru0.744
75BoliviaBolivia0.743
76AndorraAndorra0.742
77Costa RicaCosta Rica0.741
78AlbaniaAlbania0.739
78MauritiusMauritius0.739
78UkraineUkraine0.739
81TurkmenistanTurkmenistan0.737
82FijiFiji0.730
82UzbekistanUzbekistan0.730
84ThailandThailand0.727
85SamoaSamoa0.724
86PanamaPanama0.723
87Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina0.719
88MongoliaMongolia0.716
89MalaysiaMalaysia0.715
90EcuadorEcuador0.714
91BrazilBrazil0.710
92MexicoMexico0.709
93AzerbaijanAzerbaijan0.706
93QatarQatar0.706
95North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia0.701
96ColombiaColombia0.697
96PalestinePalestine0.697
96JordanJordan0.697
99VenezuelaVenezuela0.695
100San MarinoSan Marino0.694
101ChinaChina0.692
102TuvaluTuvalu0.689
103BruneiBrunei0.687
104EgyptEgypt0.685
105Dominican RepublicDominican Republic0.684
105DominicaDominica0.684
107KuwaitKuwait0.683
107ParaguayParaguay0.683
109TajikistanTajikistan0.679
110IndonesiaIndonesia0.676
111TunisiaTunisia0.672
112GabonGabon0.664
112AlgeriaAlgeria0.664
114BotswanaBotswana0.663
115NauruNauru0.657
116PhilippinesPhilippines0.656
117JamaicaJamaica0.654
118LibyaLibya0.649
119GuyanaGuyana0.648
120VietnamVietnam0.647
121Saint LuciaSaint Lucia0.639
122BelizeBelize0.638
123KiribatiKiribati0.631
124LebanonLebanon0.623
125Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo0.621
126Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea0.613
127MoroccoMorocco0.609
128EswatiniEswatini0.604
129MaldivesMaldives0.599
129ZimbabweZimbabwe0.599
131NicaraguaNicaragua0.593
131MicronesiaMicronesia0.593
133CameroonCameroon0.589
134SurinameSuriname0.586
135BangladeshBangladesh0.577
136KenyaKenya0.573
137El SalvadorEl Salvador0.571
138IndiaIndia0.570
139VanuatuVanuatu0.568
139ComorosComoros0.568
139NamibiaNamibia0.568
142Timor LesteTimor Leste0.567
143IraqIraq0.566
144LesothoLesotho0.558
145BhutanBhutan0.557
146MyanmarMyanmar0.553
147ZambiaZambia0.549
147Sao Tome and PrincipeSao Tome and Principe0.549
149TogoTogo0.548
150NigeriaNigeria0.545
151GhanaGhana0.536
152AngolaAngola0.532
153UgandaUganda0.526
154Cape VerdeCape Verde0.523
155HondurasHonduras0.521
156DR CongoDR Congo0.507
157NepalNepal0.500
158CambodiaCambodia0.496
159HaitiHaiti0.495
160MalawiMalawi0.493
161GuatemalaGuatemala0.490
162Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands0.483
163LaosLaos0.480
163RwandaRwanda0.480
165Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea0.472
166LiberiaLiberia0.468
167MozambiqueMozambique0.427
168TanzaniaTanzania0.426
169Ivory CoastIvory Coast0.421
170Guinea BissauGuinea Bissau0.415
171MadagascarMadagascar0.409
172GambiaGambia0.400
173SyriaSyria0.396
174BeninBenin0.389
175BurundiBurundi0.388
176MauritaniaMauritania0.385
177AfghanistanAfghanistan0.381
178EritreaEritrea0.373
179Sierra LeoneSierra Leone0.367
180PakistanPakistan0.366
180SudanSudan0.366
182GuineaGuinea0.363
183EthiopiaEthiopia0.355
184DjiboutiDjibouti0.352
185SenegalSenegal0.349
186South SudanSouth Sudan0.346
187Central African RepublicCentral African Republic0.336
188YemenYemen0.313
189ChadChad0.304
190Burkina FasoBurkina Faso0.302
191SomaliaSomalia0.274
192MaliMali0.248
193NigerNiger0.243

The Importance of Education and the Education Index

A strong education system is a cornerstone of economic prosperity and social progress, making national education rankings a critical indicator of a country’s global competitiveness. For this ranking, we use data from the 2023-2024 United Nations Human Development Report–specifically its Education Index–to provide an overview of academic performance around the world.

What is the Education Index?

The Education Index is a key indicator published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as part of its broader Human Development Index (HDI). It ranks countries based on education attainment, using two equally weighted factors: average years of schooling among adults (representing current educational achievement) and expected years of schooling for current students (representing future potential).

How to interpret the index:
Scores range from 0 (lowest) to 1 (highest) and indicate the quality of the country’s education system.

  • Above 0.9: Exceptional education systems
  • 0.8–0.9: Very good performance
  • 0.7–0.8: Good educational development
  • 0.5–0.7: Moderate development
  • Below 0.5: Significant education challenges

Countries with higher Education Index scores are better positioned to leverage their human capital to drive sustainable economic growth, foster innovation, and promote social stability for years to come.

Region ↕Education Index 2022↕Inequality-adjusted Education Index 2022↕Years of Schooling 2023↕
Iceland0.9600.93813.9
Germany0.9570.92114.3
Norway0.9370.91413.1
United Kingdom0.9360.90613.5
Denmark0.9330.90813
New Zealand0.9300.89412.9
Finland0.9300.91113
Switzerland0.9240.90613.9
Sweden0.9230.89112.7
Australia0.9230.8812.9
Netherlands0.9200.87712.7
Belgium0.9170.86512.7
Slovenia0.9130.89513
Palau0.9110.88513.3
United States0.9090.88513.9
Canada0.9080.88513.9
Lithuania0.9060.87913.6
Latvia0.9040.88813.4
United Arab Emirates0.9040.81513
Hong Kong0.9040.829
Estonia0.8920.87713.6
Ireland0.8900.86211.7
Georgia0.8870.864
Czech Republic0.8830.87413
Marshall Islands0.8820.8411.6
Poland0.8820.84513.2
Greece0.8800.78911.6
South Korea0.8780.80112.7
Argentina0.8700.82511.2
Singapore0.8660.78512
Austria0.8660.84212.4
Cyprus0.8630.79112.6
Israel0.8630.81113.5
Saint Kitts and Nevis0.86010.8
Japan0.8540.81312.7
Russia0.8490.83112.4
Malta0.8480.80412.4
Spain0.8480.72110.8
Liechtenstein0.84412.4
Croatia0.8430.8112.1
Slovakia0.8420.82713.1
Montenegro0.8390.77412.8
Chile0.8370.77611.3
France0.8340.76911.8
Luxembourg0.8280.75912.6
Hungary0.8260.80512.3
Kazakhstan0.8240.812.5
Italy0.8210.73910.8
Bahrain0.8190.74911.1
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines0.8190.76811.3
Tonga0.8160.7810.9
Moldova0.8070.78711.8
Saudi Arabia0.7990.69811.6
Belarus0.7960.77412.3
Turkey0.7930.79
Grenada0.7919.4
Barbados0.7880.7459.9
Portugal0.7870.6889.7
Uruguay0.7870.72610.5
Serbia0.7860.73711.6
South Africa0.7840.64811.6
Romania0.7830.7411.6
Trinidad and Tobago0.7820.70710.8
Antigua and Barbuda0.78111.6
Armenia0.7770.75511.3
Bulgaria0.7660.72111.5
Kyrgyzstan0.7610.73412.1
Seychelles0.7590.70911.2
Oman0.7580.72411.9
Bahamas0.7540.70312.8
Cuba0.7530.68510.6
Sri Lanka0.7510.66310.8
Iran0.7480.47210.8
Peru0.7440.59310.2
Bolivia0.7430.63310
Andorra0.7420.70111.6
Costa Rica0.7410.6588.8
Albania0.7390.64910.2
Mauritius0.7390.57910.1
Ukraine0.7390.71411.1
Turkmenistan0.7370.71711.2
Fiji0.7300.66710.4
Uzbekistan0.7300.71711.9
Thailand0.7270.6119
Samoa0.7240.67311.3
Panama0.7230.6510.8
Bosnia and Herzegovina0.7190.64111
Mongolia0.7160.6329.4
Malaysia0.7150.63611.1
Ecuador0.7140.6289
Brazil0.7100.618.4
Mexico0.7090.6049.3
Azerbaijan0.7060.6811.1
Qatar0.7060.62710.8
North Macedonia0.7010.64310.2
Colombia0.6970.5779
Palestine0.6970.62610.1
Jordan0.6970.59110.2
Venezuela0.6950.6369.7
San Marino0.6940.65711.4
China0.6920.6228
Tuvalu0.6890.62810.8
Brunei0.6870.5859.3
Egypt0.6850.43310.1
Dominican Republic0.6840.5829.4
Dominica0.68410.1
Kuwait0.6830.5337.6
Paraguay0.6830.5978.9
Tajikistan0.6790.63711.3
Indonesia0.6760.5698.7
Tunisia0.6720.4657.6
Gabon0.6640.5279.7
Algeria0.6640.4427.4
Botswana0.6630.5110.5
Nauru0.6579.4
Philippines0.6560.57510
Jamaica0.6540.61310
Libya0.6497.8
Guyana0.6480.5828.7
Vietnam0.6470.5469
Saint Lucia0.6390.4788.6
Belize0.6380.5458.8
Kiribati0.6310.5719.1
Lebanon0.62310.4
Republic of the Congo0.6210.498.3
Equatorial Guinea0.6138.3
Morocco0.6090.3536.2
Eswatini0.6040.468.7
Maldives0.5990.4227.4
Zimbabwe0.5990.5128.9
Nicaragua0.5930.4399.9
Micronesia0.5937.3
Cameroon0.5890.4036.6
Suriname0.5860.4778.4
Bangladesh0.5770.3626.8
Kenya0.5730.468.6
El Salvador0.5710.447.3
India0.5700.3596.9
Vanuatu0.5687.2
Comoros0.5680.2986
Namibia0.5680.4267.3
Timor Leste0.5670.3136.2
Iraq0.5660.3986.8
Lesotho0.5580.457.7
Bhutan0.5570.2895.8
Myanmar0.5530.4046.4
Zambia0.5490.4377.4
Sao Tome and Principe0.5490.4466
Togo0.5480.345.9
Nigeria0.5450.3397.6
Ghana0.5360.3487.1
Angola0.5320.3516
Uganda0.5260.386.3
Cape Verde0.5230.386.1
Honduras0.5210.4087.5
DR Congo0.5070.3717.4
Nepal0.5000.3014.5
Cambodia0.4960.3555.2
Haiti0.4950.3115.4
Malawi0.4930.3565.2
Guatemala0.4900.3175.8
Solomon Islands0.4835.9
Laos0.4800.3316.1
Rwanda0.4800.3484.9
Papua New Guinea0.4720.3055
Liberia0.4680.2716.2
Mozambique0.4270.2634.6
Tanzania0.4260.3126.1
Ivory Coast0.4210.2274.9
Guinea Bissau0.4150.243.7
Madagascar0.4090.2934.6
Gambia0.4000.2124.7
Syria0.3965.9
Benin0.3890.223.2
Burundi0.3880.2343.5
Mauritania0.3850.2144.9
Afghanistan0.3810.1952.5
Eritrea0.3735.1
Sierra Leone0.3670.1933.5
Pakistan0.3660.2074.3
Sudan0.3660.214
Guinea0.3630.1812.5
Ethiopia0.3550.2042.4
Djibouti0.3520.1914
Senegal0.3490.1852.9
South Sudan0.3460.215.7
Central African Republic0.3360.2174
Yemen0.3130.1685.5
Chad0.3040.1732.3
Burkina Faso0.3020.1632.3
Somalia0.2741.9
Mali0.2480.1471.6
Niger0.2430.1591.4

Top Countries for Education

The best-ranked education systems share common foundations: substantial public investment, universal access among different socio-economic groups, rigorous teacher qualification standards, and data-based education policies. Nordic countries dominate the ranking, suggesting that their comprehensive approach to education produces exceptional results.

Iceland leads the world education ranking with a near-perfect score of 0.960, demonstrating an excellent balance between present and future educational metrics. Germany (0.957) ranks second, with the highest average years of schooling (14.3) of any country. Norway ranks third with 0.937, followed closely by the United Kingdom with 0.936. Denmark completes the top five with 0.933. Finland and New Zealand share sixth place (0.930). Switzerland ranks 8th (0.924), followed by Australia (0.923), which has the highest expected years of schooling in the world (21.1). Sweden completes the top ten with a score of 0.923, just 0.037 points below Iceland, highlighting the minimal difference between education leaders.

Top 10 countries in education

  1. Iceland - 0.960
  2. Germany - 0.957
  3. Norway - 0.937
  4. United Kingdom - 0.936
  5. Denmark - 0.933
  6. Finland - 0.930
  7. New Zealand - 0.930
  8. Switzerland - 0.924
  9. Australia - 0.923
  10. Sweden - 0.923

Frequently Asked Questions

Human Development Report 2023 - 2024
Last updated
March 13, 2024
Keep reading

Additional Rankings

Exports by Country
Economy
Countries

Exports by Country

Ez Pass Cost By State
Prices
States

Ez Pass Cost By State

Fastest Growing States

Fastest Growing States

Flattest States
Geography
States

Flattest States

Freest Countries
Miscellaneous
Countries

Freest Countries

Friendliest Countries
Miscellaneous
Countries

Friendliest Countries