Sweden: Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Sweden's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.69 percentage points on 2016 (from 18.25% to 18.94%).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2016), the average change was +0.7 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.43 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 16.36 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.21 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.74 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2017, Sweden had the 3rd highest value of the 65 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Sweden in the 2017 ranking

• Eswatini — 1st of 65: 28.27%
• Lesotho — 2nd of 65: 21.08%
• Slovak Republic — 4th of 65: 15.83%
• Brazil — 5th of 65: 14.46%
• Zambia — 6th of 65: 13.95%

What this measures

Over-age students are the percentage of those enrolled who are older than the official school-age range for primary education.

All 21 values

Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) in nearby economies

• Albania — 6.58% (2018)
• Armenia — 2.15% (2018)
• Austria — 13.47% (2017)
• Azerbaijan — 7.06% (2018)
• Belarus — 5.54% (2018)
• Belgium — 4.81% (2017)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 3.85% (2018)
• Bulgaria — 1.57% (2017)
• Croatia — 0.86% (2017)
• Cyprus — 1.7% (2017)

More education data for Sweden

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 859,847 (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 987,895 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.05 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.07 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.08 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sweden's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment)?

18.94% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1976?

It is up 18.45 percentage points from 0.5% in 1976. The highest value was 18.94% in 2017 and the lowest 0% in 2004.

How does Sweden rank?

3rd highest of 65 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) unusual for Sweden?

In 2017, Sweden's over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) rose 0.69 percentage points on 2016 (from 18.25% to 18.94%). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2016), the average change was +0.7 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.43 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.OENR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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