Top 10 · education
Top 10 countries by years in education
Expected years of schooling for a child entering school today. UNDP Human Development Report data, latest year 2023, covering 193 countries.
The top 10
1st of 193 · 2023
Monaco21.7 years
The other end · bottom 5 of 193
- 189thSyria7.4 years
- 190thEritrea7.3 years
- 191stMali7 years
- 192ndDjibouti6.2 years
- 193rdSouth Sudan5.6 years
Where the big countries land
- 46thUnited States15.9 years
- 57thChina15.5 years
- 113thIndia13 years
- 23rdGermany17.3 years
- 50thBrazil15.8 years
Common questions
Questions people ask about years in education
Which country ranks highest for years in education?
Monaco ranks 1st of 193 countries at 21.7 years (2023 data). Source: UNDP Human Development Report.
Which countries are in the top 10 for years in education?
The top 10 are Monaco, Greece, Australia, Türkiye, Finland, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium, Sweden and Iceland — computed from UNDP Human Development Report data, latest year 2023.
Where does the United States rank in years in education?
The United States ranks 46th of 193 countries at 15.9 years (2023 data). Source: UNDP Human Development Report.
What is the median years in education worldwide?
Across the 193 countries covered, the median is 13.3 years. Values run from 21.7 years (Monaco, ranked 1st) to 5.6 years (South Sudan, ranked 193rd).
Is years in education higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 44 European countries is 16.3 years, against 15.9 years in the United States — it is higher in Europe. Source: UNDP Human Development Report.
Which country ranks lowest for years in education?
South Sudan sits at the other end of the list: 5.6 years ranks 193rd of 193 (2023 data). Source: UNDP Human Development Report.
Keep ranking
Keep exploring
More on education
- Pupil performanceStandardized test performance (PISA countries, NAEP states, linked scale).
- Adult literacyHow well working-age adults read and use written information.
- Adult numeracyHow well working-age adults handle numbers and mathematical ideas.
- Adults with weak literacyShare of adults at PIAAC literacy Level 1 or below — they can read short, simple texts but little more.
- Adults with weak numeracyShare of adults at PIAAC numeracy Level 1 or below — they manage single-step arithmetic but little more.
- Nobel laureatesNobel laureates by place of birth, per million current residents.
Who leads the world
- Monacotops life expectancy86.5 years
- Singaporetops homicide rate0.1 per 100k
- Bulgariatops paid maternity leave59 weeks
Monaco leads on years in education — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →