Education Rankings by Country 2025

Education Index

Inequality-adjusted Education Index 2022

Mean Years of Schooling 2023

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Education Index 2022

1	Iceland	0.960
2	Germany	0.957
3	Norway	0.937
4	United Kingdom	0.936
5	Denmark	0.933
6	New Zealand	0.930
6	Finland	0.930
8	Switzerland	0.924
9	Sweden	0.923
9	Australia	0.923
11	Netherlands	0.920
12	Belgium	0.917
13	Slovenia	0.913
14	Palau	0.911
15	United States	0.909
16	Canada	0.908
17	Lithuania	0.906
18	Latvia	0.904
18	United Arab Emirates	0.904
18	Hong Kong	0.904
21	Estonia	0.892
22	Ireland	0.890
23	Georgia	0.887
24	Czech Republic	0.883
25	Marshall Islands	0.882
25	Poland	0.882
27	Greece	0.880
28	South Korea	0.878
29	Argentina	0.870
30	Singapore	0.866
30	Austria	0.866
32	Cyprus	0.863
32	Israel	0.863
34	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.860
35	Japan	0.854
36	Russia	0.849
37	Malta	0.848
37	Spain	0.848
39	Liechtenstein	0.844
40	Croatia	0.843
41	Slovakia	0.842
42	Montenegro	0.839
43	Chile	0.837
44	France	0.834
45	Luxembourg	0.828
46	Hungary	0.826
47	Kazakhstan	0.824
48	Italy	0.821
49	Bahrain	0.819
49	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0.819
51	Tonga	0.816
52	Moldova	0.807
53	Saudi Arabia	0.799
54	Belarus	0.796
55	Turkey	0.793
56	Grenada	0.791
57	Barbados	0.788
58	Portugal	0.787
58	Uruguay	0.787
60	Serbia	0.786
61	South Africa	0.784
62	Romania	0.783
63	Trinidad and Tobago	0.782
64	Antigua and Barbuda	0.781
65	Armenia	0.777
66	Bulgaria	0.766
67	Kyrgyzstan	0.761
68	Seychelles	0.759
69	Oman	0.758
70	Bahamas	0.754
71	Cuba	0.753
72	Sri Lanka	0.751
73	Iran	0.748
74	Peru	0.744
75	Bolivia	0.743
76	Andorra	0.742
77	Costa Rica	0.741
78	Albania	0.739
78	Mauritius	0.739
78	Ukraine	0.739
81	Turkmenistan	0.737
82	Fiji	0.730
82	Uzbekistan	0.730
84	Thailand	0.727
85	Samoa	0.724
86	Panama	0.723
87	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.719
88	Mongolia	0.716
89	Malaysia	0.715
90	Ecuador	0.714
91	Brazil	0.710
92	Mexico	0.709
93	Azerbaijan	0.706
93	Qatar	0.706
95	North Macedonia	0.701
96	Colombia	0.697
96	Palestine	0.697
96	Jordan	0.697
99	Venezuela	0.695
100	San Marino	0.694
101	China	0.692
102	Tuvalu	0.689
103	Brunei	0.687
104	Egypt	0.685
105	Dominican Republic	0.684
105	Dominica	0.684
107	Kuwait	0.683
107	Paraguay	0.683
109	Tajikistan	0.679
110	Indonesia	0.676
111	Tunisia	0.672
112	Gabon	0.664
112	Algeria	0.664
114	Botswana	0.663
115	Nauru	0.657
116	Philippines	0.656
117	Jamaica	0.654
118	Libya	0.649
119	Guyana	0.648
120	Vietnam	0.647
121	Saint Lucia	0.639
122	Belize	0.638
123	Kiribati	0.631
124	Lebanon	0.623
125	Republic of the Congo	0.621
126	Equatorial Guinea	0.613
127	Morocco	0.609
128	Eswatini	0.604
129	Maldives	0.599
129	Zimbabwe	0.599
131	Nicaragua	0.593
131	Micronesia	0.593
133	Cameroon	0.589
134	Suriname	0.586
135	Bangladesh	0.577
136	Kenya	0.573
137	El Salvador	0.571
138	India	0.570
139	Vanuatu	0.568
139	Comoros	0.568
139	Namibia	0.568
142	Timor Leste	0.567
143	Iraq	0.566
144	Lesotho	0.558
145	Bhutan	0.557
146	Myanmar	0.553
147	Zambia	0.549
147	Sao Tome and Principe	0.549
149	Togo	0.548
150	Nigeria	0.545
151	Ghana	0.536
152	Angola	0.532
153	Uganda	0.526
154	Cape Verde	0.523
155	Honduras	0.521
156	DR Congo	0.507
157	Nepal	0.500
158	Cambodia	0.496
159	Haiti	0.495
160	Malawi	0.493
161	Guatemala	0.490
162	Solomon Islands	0.483
163	Laos	0.480
163	Rwanda	0.480
165	Papua New Guinea	0.472
166	Liberia	0.468
167	Mozambique	0.427
168	Tanzania	0.426
169	Ivory Coast	0.421
170	Guinea Bissau	0.415
171	Madagascar	0.409
172	Gambia	0.400
173	Syria	0.396
174	Benin	0.389
175	Burundi	0.388
176	Mauritania	0.385
177	Afghanistan	0.381
178	Eritrea	0.373
179	Sierra Leone	0.367
180	Pakistan	0.366
180	Sudan	0.366
182	Guinea	0.363
183	Ethiopia	0.355
184	Djibouti	0.352
185	Senegal	0.349
186	South Sudan	0.346
187	Central African Republic	0.336
188	Yemen	0.313
189	Chad	0.304
190	Burkina Faso	0.302
191	Somalia	0.274
192	Mali	0.248
193	Niger	0.243

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The Importance of Education and the Education Index
Top Countries for Education
FAQs
Source

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↕
Iceland	0.960	0.938	13.9
Germany	0.957	0.921	14.3
Norway	0.937	0.914	13.1
United Kingdom	0.936	0.906	13.5
Denmark	0.933	0.908	13
New Zealand	0.930	0.894	12.9
Finland	0.930	0.911	13
Switzerland	0.924	0.906	13.9
Sweden	0.923	0.891	12.7
Australia	0.923	0.88	12.9
Netherlands	0.920	0.877	12.7
Belgium	0.917	0.865	12.7
Slovenia	0.913	0.895	13
Palau	0.911	0.885	13.3
United States	0.909	0.885	13.9
Canada	0.908	0.885	13.9
Lithuania	0.906	0.879	13.6
Latvia	0.904	0.888	13.4
United Arab Emirates	0.904	0.815	13
Hong Kong	0.904	0.829
Estonia	0.892	0.877	13.6
Ireland	0.890	0.862	11.7
Georgia	0.887	0.864	12.7
Czech Republic	0.883	0.874	13
Marshall Islands	0.882	0.84	11.6
Poland	0.882	0.845	13.2
Greece	0.880	0.789	11.6
South Korea	0.878	0.801	12.7
Argentina	0.870	0.825	11.2
Singapore	0.866	0.785	12
Austria	0.866	0.842	12.4
Cyprus	0.863	0.791	12.6
Israel	0.863	0.811	13.5
Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.860		10.8
Japan	0.854	0.813	12.7
Russia	0.849	0.831	12.4
Malta	0.848	0.804	12.4
Spain	0.848	0.721	10.8
Liechtenstein	0.844		12.4
Croatia	0.843	0.81	12.1
Slovakia	0.842	0.827	13.1
Montenegro	0.839	0.774	12.8
Chile	0.837	0.776	11.3
France	0.834	0.769	11.8
Luxembourg	0.828	0.759	12.6
Hungary	0.826	0.805	12.3
Kazakhstan	0.824	0.8	12.5
Italy	0.821	0.739	10.8
Bahrain	0.819	0.749	11.1
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0.819	0.768	11.3
Tonga	0.816	0.78	10.9
Moldova	0.807	0.787	11.8
Saudi Arabia	0.799	0.698	11.6
Belarus	0.796	0.774	12.3
Turkey	0.793	0.7	9
Grenada	0.791		9.4
Barbados	0.788	0.745	9.9
Portugal	0.787	0.688	9.7
Uruguay	0.787	0.726	10.5
Serbia	0.786	0.737	11.6
South Africa	0.784	0.648	11.6
Romania	0.783	0.74	11.6
Trinidad and Tobago	0.782	0.707	10.8
Antigua and Barbuda	0.781		11.6
Armenia	0.777	0.755	11.3
Bulgaria	0.766	0.721	11.5
Kyrgyzstan	0.761	0.734	12.1
Seychelles	0.759	0.709	11.2
Oman	0.758	0.724	11.9
Bahamas	0.754	0.703	12.8
Cuba	0.753	0.685	10.6
Sri Lanka	0.751	0.663	10.8
Iran	0.748	0.472	10.8
Peru	0.744	0.593	10.2
Bolivia	0.743	0.633	10
Andorra	0.742	0.701	11.6
Costa Rica	0.741	0.658	8.8
Albania	0.739	0.649	10.2
Mauritius	0.739	0.579	10.1
Ukraine	0.739	0.714	11.1
Turkmenistan	0.737	0.717	11.2
Fiji	0.730	0.667	10.4
Uzbekistan	0.730	0.717	11.9
Thailand	0.727	0.611	9
Samoa	0.724	0.673	11.3
Panama	0.723	0.65	10.8
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.719	0.641	11
Mongolia	0.716	0.632	9.4
Malaysia	0.715	0.636	11.1
Ecuador	0.714	0.628	9
Brazil	0.710	0.61	8.4
Mexico	0.709	0.604	9.3
Azerbaijan	0.706	0.68	11.1
Qatar	0.706	0.627	10.8
North Macedonia	0.701	0.643	10.2
Colombia	0.697	0.577	9
Palestine	0.697	0.626	10.1
Jordan	0.697	0.591	10.2
Venezuela	0.695	0.636	9.7
San Marino	0.694	0.657	11.4
China	0.692	0.622	8
Tuvalu	0.689	0.628	10.8
Brunei	0.687	0.585	9.3
Egypt	0.685	0.433	10.1
Dominican Republic	0.684	0.582	9.4
Dominica	0.684		10.1
Kuwait	0.683	0.533	7.6
Paraguay	0.683	0.597	8.9
Tajikistan	0.679	0.637	11.3
Indonesia	0.676	0.569	8.7
Tunisia	0.672	0.465	7.6
Gabon	0.664	0.527	9.7
Algeria	0.664	0.442	7.4
Botswana	0.663	0.51	10.5
Nauru	0.657		9.4
Philippines	0.656	0.575	10
Jamaica	0.654	0.613	10
Libya	0.649		7.8
Guyana	0.648	0.582	8.7
Vietnam	0.647	0.546	9
Saint Lucia	0.639	0.478	8.6
Belize	0.638	0.545	8.8
Kiribati	0.631	0.571	9.1
Lebanon	0.623		10.4
Republic of the Congo	0.621	0.49	8.3
Equatorial Guinea	0.613		8.3
Morocco	0.609	0.353	6.2
Eswatini	0.604	0.46	8.7
Maldives	0.599	0.422	7.4
Zimbabwe	0.599	0.512	8.9
Nicaragua	0.593	0.439	9.9
Micronesia	0.593		7.3
Cameroon	0.589	0.403	6.6
Suriname	0.586	0.477	8.4
Bangladesh	0.577	0.362	6.8
Kenya	0.573	0.46	8.6
El Salvador	0.571	0.44	7.3
India	0.570	0.359	6.9
Vanuatu	0.568		7.2
Comoros	0.568	0.298	6
Namibia	0.568	0.426	7.3
Timor Leste	0.567	0.313	6.2
Iraq	0.566	0.398	6.8
Lesotho	0.558	0.45	7.7
Bhutan	0.557	0.289	5.8
Myanmar	0.553	0.404	6.4
Zambia	0.549	0.437	7.4
Sao Tome and Principe	0.549	0.446	6
Togo	0.548	0.34	5.9
Nigeria	0.545	0.339	7.6
Ghana	0.536	0.348	7.1
Angola	0.532	0.351	6
Uganda	0.526	0.38	6.3
Cape Verde	0.523	0.38	6.1
Honduras	0.521	0.408	7.5
DR Congo	0.507	0.371	7.4
Nepal	0.500	0.301	4.5
Cambodia	0.496	0.355	5.2
Haiti	0.495	0.311	5.4
Malawi	0.493	0.356	5.2
Guatemala	0.490	0.317	5.8
Solomon Islands	0.483		5.9
Laos	0.480	0.331	6.1
Rwanda	0.480	0.348	4.9
Papua New Guinea	0.472	0.305	5
Liberia	0.468	0.271	6.2
Mozambique	0.427	0.263	4.6
Tanzania	0.426	0.312	6.1
Ivory Coast	0.421	0.227	4.9
Guinea Bissau	0.415	0.24	3.7
Madagascar	0.409	0.293	4.6
Gambia	0.400	0.212	4.7
Syria	0.396		5.9
Benin	0.389	0.22	3.2
Burundi	0.388	0.234	3.5
Mauritania	0.385	0.214	4.9
Afghanistan	0.381	0.195	2.5
Eritrea	0.373		5.1
Sierra Leone	0.367	0.193	3.5
Pakistan	0.366	0.207	4.3
Sudan	0.366	0.21	4
Guinea	0.363	0.181	2.5
Ethiopia	0.355	0.204	2.4
Djibouti	0.352	0.191	4
Senegal	0.349	0.185	2.9
South Sudan	0.346	0.21	5.7
Central African Republic	0.336	0.217	4
Yemen	0.313	0.168	5.5
Chad	0.304	0.173	2.3
Burkina Faso	0.302	0.163	2.3
Somalia	0.274		1.9
Mali	0.248	0.147	1.6
Niger	0.243	0.159	1.4

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

Iceland - 0.960
Germany - 0.957
Norway - 0.937
United Kingdom - 0.936
Denmark - 0.933
Finland - 0.930
New Zealand - 0.930
Switzerland - 0.924
Australia - 0.923
Sweden - 0.923

Frequently Asked Questions

: Iceland is first in world education rankings with a 0.960 score. The island combines excellence in current educational opportunities with historic levels of schooling and surpasses larger economic powers, including the United States (0.909, 15th place) and Japan (0.854, 35th place).
: The U.S. is 15th with a 0.909 score at the education index ranking. This places the US in the position of Exceptional Education Systems. Despite having world-class universities, it is behind countries with significantly lower GDP per capita, such as Slovenia (0.913).