Statistikk innhold
Statistics on
Educational attainment of the population
Educational Attainment of the Population includes residents in Norway as of October 1, aged 16 years or older by the end of the calendar year.
Selected figures from the statistics
- Level of education for persons 16 years and olderDownload table as ...Level of education for persons 16 years and older1
2018 2023 Total Total share Share females Total Total share Share females Level of education, in total 4 339 490 100.0 100.0 4 569 268 100.0 100.0 Below upper secondary education 1 111 540 25.8 25.2 1 064 191 23.4 22.4 Upper secondary education 1 603 066 37.2 34.5 1 633 611 35.9 32.6 Tertiary vocational education 125 788 2.9 2.1 147 053 3.2 2.5 Higher education 1 471 135 34.1 38.2 1 700 613 37.4 42.6 Unknown or no completed education 27 961 . . 23 800 . . 1For many immigrants Statistics Norway has no information about their level of education. From 2014, figures include an estimated level of education for missing values for these immigrants. See About the statistics and definitions of education levels. Tertiary vocational education was prior to 2016 included in upper secondary education. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Age groups and educational attainmentDownload table as ...Age groups and educational attainment1
2023 Population October 1 Highest completed education Total Basic school level Upper secondary education Tertiary vocational education2 Higher education, short3 Higher education, long4 Total 4 569 268 23.4 35.9 3.2 25.4 12.0 16-19 years 263 683 86.2 13.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 20-24 years 333 035 20.7 53.1 1.3 23.8 1.1 25-29 years 367 073 17.6 27.7 3.0 35.8 15.9 30-34 years 395 494 18.5 25.4 3.6 31.9 20.6 35-39 years 380 403 18.6 26.3 3.8 30.1 21.2 40-49 years 718 260 16.5 31.7 3.5 30.3 18.0 50-59 years 744 319 17.4 38.4 4.6 27.4 12.2 60-66 years 441 901 23.5 39.6 4.2 23.7 8.9 67 years or older 925 100 23.1 47.4 2.7 19.7 7.0 Males 2 291 914 24.4 39.3 4.0 20.4 11.9 16-19 years 135 576 88.6 11.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 20-24 years 171 144 24.8 56.6 1.3 16.5 0.8 25-29 years 188 165 20.6 35.1 3.8 27.5 13.0 30-34 years 201 789 21.3 31.5 4.7 24.8 17.6 35-39 years 193 887 21.5 31.8 4.9 23.3 18.5 40-49 years 366 734 18.4 37.5 4.4 23.3 16.4 50-59 years 379 669 18.3 42.1 5.5 21.9 12.1 60-66 years 222 861 22.5 43.0 5.1 19.3 10.1 67 years or older 432 089 20.1 47.2 3.6 18.4 10.7 Females 2 277 354 22.4 32.6 2.5 30.4 12.2 16-19 years 128 107 83.6 16.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 20-24 years 161 891 16.3 49.4 1.4 31.6 1.4 25-29 years 178 908 14.5 19.9 2.0 44.5 19.1 30-34 years 193 705 15.5 19.0 2.5 39.3 23.8 35-39 years 186 516 15.6 20.5 2.7 37.1 24.1 40-49 years 351 526 14.5 25.7 2.7 37.5 19.7 50-59 years 364 650 16.4 34.4 3.8 33.1 12.4 60-66 years 219 040 24.4 36.2 3.4 28.2 7.8 67 years or older 493 011 25.8 47.6 1.9 20.8 3.8 1For many immigrants SSB has no information about their education. From 2014, figures include an estimated level of education for missing values for these immigrants. See About the statistics for more information. 2Includes intermediate level courses based on completed upper secondary level, but which are not accredited as higher education. 3Higher education, short comprises higher education up to 4 years in duration. 4Higher education, long comprises higher education more than 4 years in duration. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - County of residence for educational attainmentDownload table as ...County of residence for educational attainment1
Numbers Per cent Total Below upper secondary education Upper secondary education Tertiary vocational education2 Higher education, short3 Higher education, long4 Males 1985 1 606 112 42.4 43.0 10.0 4.7 1990 1 665 359 38.3 44.8 11.7 5.2 1995 1 701 135 33.3 46.8 14.0 5.8 2000 1 746 270 31.4 46.5 15.3 6.7 2005 1 807 423 30.0 46.0 16.5 7.5 2010 1 956 835 28.6 45.3 17.6 8.5 2015 2 117 010 27.1 44.1 18.7 10.0 2020 2 216 508 25.5 39.9 3.8 19.9 10.9 2023 2 291 914 24.4 39.3 4.0 20.4 11.9 Viken (2020-2023) 535 675 26.1 38.6 3.3 20.5 11.5 Oslo 297 035 19.9 25.6 2.2 28.4 23.9 Innlandet 158 072 28.6 44.0 4.1 16.6 6.8 Vestfold og Telemark (2020-2023) 178 977 25.7 42.6 4.4 19.2 8.2 Agder 130 245 23.7 43.2 5.0 19.1 9.1 Rogaland 202 202 22.8 42.0 4.6 18.6 11.9 Vestland 269 064 22.4 41.6 4.9 20.0 11.0 Møre og Romsdal 112 880 24.9 43.8 6.1 18.3 6.9 Trøndelag - Trööndelage 201 271 22.8 42.0 3.8 19.4 12.0 Nordland - Nordlánnda 102 494 28.4 42.8 4.7 17.0 7.1 Troms og Finnmark - Romsa ja Finnmárku (2020-2023) 103 918 28.3 39.6 4.9 17.9 9.3 County not stated 81 47.5 7.5 2.5 25.0 17.5 Females 1985 1 673 486 49.1 39.4 10.5 1.0 1990 1 734 109 44.6 41.1 12.9 1.4 1995 1 773 116 39.4 42.4 16.3 2.0 2000 1 812 166 35.9 42.1 19.1 2.9 2005 1 868 445 32.4 41.3 22.3 4.0 2010 1 981 012 29.6 39.9 24.9 5.7 2015 2 104 975 26.7 37.7 27.3 8.3 2020 2 196 122 24.0 34.0 2.2 29.5 10.3 2023 2 277 354 22.4 32.6 2.5 30.4 12.2 Viken (2020-2023) 533 517 23.5 32.8 2.8 29.7 11.2 Oslo 302 561 17.0 21.7 2.2 34.8 24.3 Innlandet 158 828 25.5 36.9 2.3 28.1 7.2 Vestfold og Telemark (2020-2023) 181 485 24.0 35.8 2.8 29.3 8.1 Agder 130 524 23.3 36.1 2.4 29.5 8.7 Rogaland 197 628 22.4 33.3 2.7 29.7 11.9 Vestland 264 592 21.2 33.4 2.4 31.1 11.8 Møre og Romsdal 109 691 23.4 36.4 2.2 30.1 7.9 Trøndelag - Trööndelage 197 426 21.3 34.3 2.1 30.6 11.7 Nordland - Nordlánnda 100 460 25.9 35.8 2.1 28.1 8.1 Troms og Finnmark - Romsa ja Finnmárku (2020-2023) 100 516 24.2 31.9 2.0 29.9 11.9 County not stated 126 36.5 16.7 1.6 30.2 15.1 1For many immigrants SSB has no information about their education. From 2014, figures include an estimated level of education for missing values for these immigrants. See About the statistics for more information. 2Includes intermediate level courses based on completed upper secondary level, but which are not accredited as higher education. 3Higher education, short comprises higher education up to 4 years in duration. 4Higher education, long comprises higher education more than 4 years in duration. The table was updated 18 June 2021 at 12:25. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Districts in Oslo and educational attainmentDownload table as ...Districts in Oslo and educational attainment1
2023 Numbers Per cent Total Below upper secondary education Upper secondary education Teritary vocational education2 Higher education Oslo total 599 402 18.4 23.6 2.2 55.7 Gamle Oslo 54 315 17.9 20.1 2.1 59.9 Grünerløkka 57 309 15.4 19.8 2.2 62.7 Sagene 41 823 13.3 17.3 1.8 67.6 St. Hanshaugen 35 952 12.4 18.3 2.0 67.2 Frogner 55 015 11.4 20.1 2.3 66.3 Ullern 29 167 11.6 20.1 2.6 65.7 Vestre Aker 41 078 11.6 19.6 2.3 66.6 Nordre Aker 43 824 12.7 20.3 2.0 65.0 Bjerke 29 206 23.5 26.5 2.2 47.7 Grorud 23 045 31.6 32.0 2.3 34.1 Stovner 27 514 35.6 33.3 2.0 29.1 Alna 41 031 30.2 31.6 2.3 35.9 Østensjø 41 545 19.8 29.2 2.8 48.2 Nordstrand 43 501 15.7 27.2 2.8 54.3 Søndre Nordstrand 31 116 31.4 29.7 2.0 36.9 Sentrum 1 528 15.1 24.8 2.3 57.9 Marka 1 387 17.8 33.6 2.3 46.3 Unknown urban district Oslo 1 046 44.0 30.6 1.0 24.4 1For many immigrants SSB has no information about their education. From 2014, figures include an estimated level of education for missing values for these immigrants. See About the statistics for more information 2Includes intermediate level courses based on completed upper secondary level, but which are not accredited as higher education. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Immigrants by country background and educational attainmentDownload table as ...Immigrants by country background and educational attainment1
2023 Level of education, in total No completed education Below upper secondary education Upper secondary education Tertiary vocational education2 Higher education, short3 Higher education, long4 Total 844 959 8 928 241 757 236 254 11 828 196 426 149 766 Poland 103 912 73 19 708 50 848 1 043 16 770 15 470 Lithuania 40 160 144 11 059 13 269 312 11 172 4 204 Sweden 35 231 126 4 549 12 463 642 11 694 5 757 Syria 30 480 243 19 525 4 364 222 4 710 1 416 Somalia 26 430 1 550 15 575 5 768 217 2 719 601 Germany 25 432 40 4 861 6 248 315 6 542 7 426 Ukraine 42 639 66 8 724 7 133 751 10 412 15 553 Philippines 23 485 113 5 066 5 536 445 9 231 3 094 Iraq 22 704 491 9 550 5 465 294 5 035 1 869 Eritrea 22 965 281 13 689 6 096 318 2 132 449 Pakistan 22 330 789 8 976 4 449 233 4 799 3 084 Thailand 21 821 558 10 297 5 875 233 3 844 1 014 Iran 19 659 329 4 973 4 417 390 5 019 4 531 Russia 20 526 30 4 185 4 050 382 4 634 7 245 Denmark 18 035 19 2 513 6 361 437 5 184 3 521 Other countries 369 150 4 076 98 507 93 912 5 594 92 529 74 532 1For many immigrants SSB has no information about their education. From 2014, figures include an estimated level of education for missing values for these immigrants. See About the statistics for more information. 2Includes intermediate level courses based on completed upper secondary level, but which are not accredited as higher education. 3Higher education, short comprises higher education up to 4 years in duration. 4Higher education, long comprises higher education more than 4 years in duration. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Reason for immigration and educational attainmentDownload table as ...Reason for immigration and educational attainment1 2
2023 Numbers Per cent Total No completed education Below upper secondary level Upper secondary education Post-secondary vocational education Higher education, short Higher education, long Sex, reason for immigration and country background Both sexes 695 735 1.0 30.1 27.2 1.3 22.3 18.2 Males 352 784 0.6 31.6 31.4 1.4 19.1 16.2 Females 342 951 1.3 28.5 22.9 1.1 25.6 20.2 Labour Total 221 839 0.2 17.5 35.6 0.9 23.1 22.6 Europe Males 134 232 0.2 20.2 45.5 0.8 17.7 15.5 Females 56 612 0.1 13.3 25.7 1.2 31.0 28.6 Africa Males 2 736 0.8 23.7 18.9 0.8 22.9 32.9 Females 915 0.8 19.6 15.3 1.2 28.2 35.0 Asia Males 13 106 0.5 11.7 8.6 0.4 34.1 44.8 Females 4 832 0.5 9.1 10.1 0.7 38.4 41.2 North America Males 1 710 0.2 7.7 5.7 1.0 34.5 50.9 Females 1 104 - 7.2 3.5 : 34.4 54.6 Oceania Males 936 : 15.2 15.4 2.4 34.5 32.4 Females 309 : 8.1 8.1 1.6 42.1 39.8 Latin America and the Caribbean Males 3 231 0.2 17.4 13.5 1.1 24.7 43.1 Females 2 116 0.3 18.6 11.3 1.1 28.5 40.2 Family Total 247 169 1.1 35.0 25.9 1.4 22.7 14.0 Europe Males 28 595 0.2 38.0 33.4 1.3 16.5 10.5 Females 62 026 0.2 23.0 28.6 1.6 24.8 21.8 Africa Males 14 622 0.9 51.6 25.2 1.0 15.8 5.5 Females 20 610 2.5 46.8 24.9 1.5 18.4 5.8 Asia Males 28 902 0.8 42.4 25.3 1.1 19.9 10.5 Females 73 817 2.1 37.4 22.3 1.2 25.5 11.5 North America Males 2 099 : 15.5 15.6 0.8 38.3 29.7 Females 2 554 0.1 12.5 11.8 0.9 38.6 36.1 Oceania Males 452 - 14.8 23.2 0.9 37.4 23.7 Females 305 : 15.1 15.7 1.0 42.3 25.2 Latin America and the Caribbean Males 3 864 0.4 33.4 26.9 1.8 20.0 17.5 Females 9 323 0.6 25.2 23.6 2.3 25.9 22.5 Refugee Total 182 778 1.9 43.0 23.0 1.5 18.7 11.9 Europe Males 25 568 0.1 27.2 28.7 1.9 21.8 20.3 Females 35 081 0.4 21.9 22.4 1.8 25.0 28.6 Africa Males 27 751 2.3 56.1 23.0 1.3 13.1 4.2 Females 19 777 5.7 54.1 24.2 1.9 11.9 2.2 Asia Males 47 706 1.4 51.7 21.3 1.1 17.8 6.6 Females 26 177 3.5 48.7 20.6 1.3 19.5 6.4 North America Males 15 - : 40.0 - 33.3 : Females 14 - 35.7 28.6 - 21.4 : Oceania Males : : : : : : - Females : : : : : : - Latin America and the Caribbean Males 337 : 28.8 22.3 3.0 27.0 18.7 Females 348 : 29.0 27.6 3.7 24.1 15.2 Education Total 39 838 0.1 11.0 8.6 1.3 31.5 47.5 Europe Males 5 238 0.1 15.8 9.4 0.8 22.1 51.8 Females 10 031 0.1 11.6 8.1 1.3 30.7 48.3 Africa Males 1 904 - 6.0 3.5 0.9 27.1 62.5 Females 1 311 : 11.6 8.2 2.4 31.7 46.1 Asia Males 6 318 - 4.5 4.8 0.7 29.6 60.4 Females 11 415 0.1 12.0 13.0 1.8 40.0 33.1 North America Males 686 - 17.9 2.6 : 27.0 52.2 Females 939 : 14.5 3.1 0.5 31.6 50.1 Oceania Males 80 - 15.0 3.8 - 27.5 53.8 Females 88 - 12.5 5.7 : 28.4 51.1 Latin America and the Caribbean Males 762 - 7.3 3.5 1.3 19.3 68.5 Females 1 066 : 13.0 9.6 1.8 24.4 51.0 Other Total 4 111 0.6 20.3 20.5 1.2 30.4 27.0 Europe Males 1 263 : 16.6 21.5 0.8 31.8 29.1 Females 1 159 : 16.0 19.8 1.6 30.5 31.8 Africa Males 136 2.2 39.0 23.5 : 23.5 11.0 Females 351 2.3 51.3 24.2 1.7 15.7 4.8 Asia Males 346 1.7 21.1 22.3 1.2 32.9 20.8 Females 459 0.9 18.1 21.8 1.1 36.6 21.6 North America Males 96 - 10.4 12.5 : 34.4 41.7 Females 105 - 6.7 11.4 - 43.8 38.1 Oceania Males 33 - 15.2 9.1 - 33.3 42.4 Females 11 - : - - 27.3 63.6 Latin America and the Caribbean Males 58 - 19.0 13.8 : 22.4 41.4 Females 94 - 17.0 11.7 : 19.1 51.1 1For many immigrants SSB has no information about their level of education. 2014 figures includes an estimated level of education for missing values for these immigrants. See About the statistics for more information. 2Very few non-Nordic immigrants resident after 1989 lacks reason for immigration. Unknown reason for immigration is therefore not included in this table. The table were updated with figures for 2022 5 June 2023. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ...
About the statistics
The information under «About the statistics» was last updated 23 May 2024.
Completed education
Educational activities that are completed at an educational institution during the period in question.
The Norwegian Standard Classification of Education (NUS)
The Norwegian Standard Classification of Education is a 6-digit code system that classifies educational activities by level and field. The level classification is intended to give the best possible notion of the educational system structure in Norway. The 1st digit indicates the level of education. Furthermore, 2-4 digits indicate detailed field division. The entire six-digits state the specific study programs.
Immigrants
Persons born abroad of two foreign-born parents and four foreign-born grandparents.
Norwegian-born to immigrant parents
Persons born in Norway of two parents born abroad, and in addition have four grandparents born abroad.
Age
Calculated as of December 31.
International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED): The international statistical standard for classification of education
Education level
The definitions of the various educational levels used in the statistics on the Educational Attainment of the Population are as follows:
COMPULSORY SCHOOL LEVEL: Compulsory schooling (in the statistics called 'Below upper secondary education') in Norway is divided into a primary level and a lower secondary level. The primary level consists of grades 1-7 while the lower secondary level consists of grades 8-10. In the statistics, it includes (i)-(iv):
(i) Individuals with educational attainment at only primary level. This information is derived from surveys and implies to a large extent to immigrants who have stated primary level as their highest educational attainment.
- NUS-level = 1
- ISCED2011-level = 1
(ii) All individuals who complete compulsory schooling, regardless of their results.
- NUS2000-level = 2
- ISCED2011-level = 2
(iii) From the school-year 1975/1976 up to and including the school-year 1994/1995: All individuals who have completed upper secondary education with a duration of less than two years, i.e. mainly study programs at primary level.
- NUS-level = 2
- ISCED2011-level = 2
(iv) From the school-year 1995/1996 onwards: All individuals who have completed upper secondary education with a duration of less than three years, i.e. mainly study programs at primary level and upper secondary level-I courses.
- NUS-level = 2
- ISCED2011-level = 2
UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL: People who have completed both primary and lower secondary education or the equivalent have the right to three years’ full-time upper secondary education, either general theoretical education or vocational education and training. In the statistics, it includes (i)-(iv):
(i) All individuals who have completed upper secondary education prior to 1974/1975, regardless of the education’s length.
- NUS-level = 3 and 4
- ISCED2011-level = 3
(ii) From the school-year 1975/1976 up to and including the school-year 1994/1995: All individuals who have completed upper secondary education with a duration of two years or more, i.e. mainly upper secondary level-I and level-II courses.
- NUS-level = 3 and 4
- ISCED2011-level = 3
(iii) From the school-year 1995/1996 onwards: All individuals who have completed upper secondary education with a duration of three years or more, i.e. mainly upper secondary level-II courses/third-year upper secondary courses.
- NUS-level = 4
- ISCED2011-level = 3
(iv) From the school-year 1998/1999 onwards: All individuals who have obtained less than 120 credits at tertiary level, and who do not have a tertiary vocational education with a duration of less than two years.
- NUS-level = 4
- ISCED2011-level = 3
TERTIARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION LEVEL: Includes all individuals who completed tertiary vocational education (both 2-years and 2-years or more), but which are not approved as higher education (i.e. academic tertiary education).
- NUS-level = 5
- ISCED2011-level = 3, 4 (duration of less than 2 years) and 5 (2 years or more)
HIGHER EDUCATION – undergraduate level:
(i) All individuals who have completed a tertiary education with a duration of up to four years.
- NUS-level = 6
- ISCED2011-level = 5, 6 and 7 (one-year master’s programs)
(ii) From the academic-year 1998/1999 onwards: All individuals who have obtained 120 credits or more at tertiary level, regardless of obtaining a degree.
- NUS-level = 6
- ISCED2011-level = 5
HIGHER EDUCATION – postgraduate level:
(i) All individuals who have completed a tertiary education with a duration of more than four years.
- NUS-level = 7
- ISCED2011-level = 7
(ii) All individuals who have completed a doctoral degree.
- NUS-level = 8
- ISCED2011-level = 8
Educational activities are grouped by the Norwegian Standard Classification of Education (NUS) which was established in 1970 by Statistics Norway and later revised in 1973, 1989 and 2000. Educational institutions are classified as being higher education by the Standard Industrial Classification.
For international purposes, ISCED 2011 - The International Standard Classification of Education is used .
Name: Educational attainment of the population
Topic: Education
Division for Education and Culture Statistics
National, county and municipal level. In addition, figures for districts in the four largest cities are presented.
The statistics are published annually in June and refer to October 1 the previous year as the counting date.
Data on enrolment is delivered to OECD, UNESCO and Eurostat (U-O-E).
Collected and revised data are stored securely by Statistics Norway in compliance with applicable legislation on data processing.
Statistics Norway can grant access to the source data (de-identified or anonymised microdata) on which the statistics are based, for researchers and public authorities for the purposes of preparing statistical results and analyses. Access can be granted upon application and subject to conditions. Refer to the details about this at Access to data from Statistics Norway.
Statistics Norway can deliver supplementary data and tables related to these statistics. To order supplementary data and tables, please contact Statistics Norway at oppdragutdanning@ssb.no. The price will depend on the size of the order.
The purpose of the statistics is to present individual-based statistics on the Educational Attainment of the Population. The statistics are government-funded.
Statistics on the Educational Attainment of the Population have previously been compiled in conjunction with the census of 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980. In addition, a status report on the Educational Attainment of the Population was compiled in 1975. Data on educational attainment for the entire population was for the last time collected as part of the Population and Housing Census in 1970 (FoB70).
Based on census data, as well as the annual files on completed educations in Norway, data on educational attainment was updated from 1970 to November 11, 1980. Completed educations abroad between 1970 and 1980 were obtained from the 1980 Population and Housing Census (FoB80). In addition, three surveys have been conducted for individuals with a completed education abroad before immigrating to Norway:
1. In the spring of 1991, a survey called 'Utdanning fullført i utlandet' ('Education completed abroad') collected data on completed educations taken abroad by foreign-born individuals who had immigrated to Norway for the first time between November 1, 1980 and December 12, 1990 and who were 16 years or older the first year of their stay.
2. In 1999, a similar survey was conducted, where the respondents were all registered Norwegian residents with foreign background and missing educational attainment in the database of the Educational Attainment of the Population. Also included in the survey were non-respondents to the 1991 survey and Norwegians who were living abroad and registered with missing educational attainment when the Educational Attainment of the Population was initially created in 1970.
3. In the autumn of 2011, a similar survey, called 'Undersøkelse om utdanning 2011' ('Survery on education 2011') was again conducted. Statistics Norway sent out a questionnaire to more than 217,000 immigrants residing in Norway who as of October 1, 2011 had no registered education in the database of the Educational Attainment of the Population. Lack of information on educational attainment applies mainly to individuals who have graduated in countries other than Norway. Individuals under the age of 20 were not included in the survey due to the assumption that they would probably encounter the Norwegian education system and would be reported through the educational institutions’ reports. Prior to the survey, Statistics Norway lacked educational information for 43 per cent of all immigrants aged 16 or older. The survey resulted in this proportion being reduced to 20.4 per cent.
The number of immigrants with missing educational attainment has continued to increase every year following the previous survey. As of October 1, 2014, 25 per cent of resident immigrants were registered with missing educational attainment in the database of the Educational Attainment of the Population. To better shed light on the level of immigrants’ educational attainment, including those for whom this information is lacking, statistical methods have been used as of October 1, 2014 to estimate the level of educational attainment for this group. It implies that Statistics Norway can provide statistics on immigrants with missing educational attainment at aggregate level, but not at individual level. The statistical methods are described in detail in the section 'Production'.
Important users of the education statistics are public administration, special interest organizations, the media, researchers, business and industry. Key users among the ministries are the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. The statistics are also used by international organizations such as the EU, the OECD and UNESCO.
In addition, the statistics are used internally in Statistics Norway in publications and in assignments.
No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8:00 AM. Prior to this, a minimum of three months’ advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway’s key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally.
Education statistics are individually based and therefore easily linked to other individual-based statistics at Statistics Norway. Education statistics are used comprehensively by labour market statistics, health statistics, living conditions statistics and income and wage statistics. The education statistics are also used in various sample surveys directed by Statistics Norway.
The statistics are developed, produced and disseminated pursuant to Act no. 32 of 21 June 2019 relating to official statistics and Statistics Norway (the Statistics Act).
Commission Regulation (EU) No 88/2011 of 2 February 2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No 452/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the production and development of statistics on education and lifelong learning, as regards statistics on education and training systems.
The database of the Educational Attainment of the Population encompasses all individuals registered as residents in Norway as of October 1, aged 16 or older at the end of the calendar year. Fifteen-year-olds who have completed compulsory education or who are enrolled in education beyond compulsory level are also included.
The database of the Educational Attainment of the Population is based on the 1970 Population and Housing Census. Annual files of completed educations are also utilized to produce statistics on the Educational Attainment of the Population. Additional data on completed educations is obtained from the State Educational Loan Fund, Norway (Lånekassen) for individuals who complete their education abroad with financial support from Lånekassen. Data from Lånekassen was first collected in 1992 for the years 1986 to 1992 and has ever since 1993 been collected annually.
From 2001 onwards, the data base has been supplemented with data from the National Diploma Database (NVB) and the Health Personnel Register (HPR). Completed educations files for the years 2001-2002 have also been updated with data from NVB and HPR. From 2008, 2017 and 2018 onwards, the database has been, respectively, supplemented with annual data from the Database of Foreign Nationals (UDB), the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) and from 2023 the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi).
In 2020, the database of the Educational Attainment of the Population was supplemented with data on completed educations from the statistical agencies in Iceland, Finland and Denmark. These are mainly educations completed before 2019 in one of the mentioned countries by individuals who either have been or are residents in Norway.
The database of the Educational Attainment of the Population is extracted directly from the Statistics Norway’s National Education Database (NUDB). NUDB covers the following educational statistics: completed educations as of school-year 1970/1971; enrolment from the school-year 1974/1975; and data on the Educational Attainment of the Population from the 1970 census. The basis for the extraction from NUDB is being resident in Norway aged 16 years or older as of October 1 the current year.
If several educational activities are registered for one individual, the one with the highest level is selected, classified according to the Norwegian Standard Classification of Education (NUS). If level does not differentiate the educational activities, the one with the highest-grade level is selected. If grade level does not differentiate the educational activities, the one which does not have any code for general field of study in NUS2000 is selected. If the field of study can neither distinguish between the educational activities, the one with the latest graduation date is selected. And if the graduation date does not separate the educational activities, one is selected randomly.
Data collection
Data on completed compulsory education (in the statistics called “Below upper secondary education”) is obtained from the county municipal admission system to upper secondary education, called “VIGO,” which is also the most important source of data for upper secondary education.
Statistics Norway collects educational data on tertiary vocational colleges, university colleges and universities from Database for Statistics on Higher Education (DBH), Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD), and the administrative systems of various higher education institutions.
Editing
Editing is defined here as checking, examining and amending data. Editing includes both control and revision and is performed on all educational data collected. It encompasses deletion of duplicate records, a control for correct and valid values for each variable, comparisons with last year’s data and checks for missing information. Several variables are re-coded to comply with control programs run by Statistics Norway. Personal ID-numbers are referenced against Statistics Norway’s population database to check for errors. At last, duplicate students are deleted, which implies that a student can only be counted once although the student may be registered for several educational activities or educational institutions at the same time.
Estimation
As of October 1, 2014, statistical measures have been implemented to provide better statistics at aggregate level on immigrants with missing educational attainment. Educational attainment is computed using a statistical method called 'predictive mean matching' which is derived from 'nearest neighbour method'. It implies finding a donor, an individual who is as similar to the individual with missing educational attainment as possible but with known educational attainment and using their observed value.
Then, by using various background variables of individuals, a regression model is adapted for the available data. By utilizing the regression model, both individuals with known and missing educational attainment are attributed a predicted value. In this way, the predicted value of the donor is used to impute an educational attainment value that replaces the missing value for the individual with no educational attainment. Thus, the most probable value of educational attainment is attributed to each individual with missing educational attainment. Auxiliary variables used to find the “nearest neighbour” are gender, age, country background, immigration category, citizenship, registered date of immigration to Norway, occupation and income. For a more detailed explanation of the method, see Jentoft (2014).
The imputation method implies that Statistics Norway can present representative statistics at aggregate level for immigrants with missing educational attainment. The statistics provide a better notion at aggregate level but are not intended for use on small populations. Imputed values should not be included for imputation of other characteristics. Researchers can decide whether they want to use datasets with or without imputation method for their purpose.
Not relevant.
Interviewers and everyone who works at Statistics Norway have a duty of confidentiality. Statistics Norway has its own data protection officer.
Statistics Norway does not publish figures where there is a risk of identifying individual data about persons.
More information can be found on Statistics Norway’s website under Methods in official statistics, in the ‘Confidentiality’ section.
Systematic data collection on the Educational Attainment of the Population began in 1970. Prior to this, data on the Educational Attainment of the Population was compiled in conjunction with the census of 1950 and 1960.
Comparability of the Educational Attainment of the Population registered in 1970 and 1980 could cause inconsistency if a detailed education level breakdown is desired. Nevertheless, the following three main levels should be used if one wants to compare over time: compulsory school level schooling (in the statistics called “Below upper secondary education”), upper secondary level, and higher education.
In the past, data on completed higher education contained less detailed information, due to the fact student data that was reported to Statistics Norway by universities and university colleges consisted of study programs with large and compact courses. For students who took exams in, for instance, mathematical and natural science faculties this led to their educational attainment not being updated before completing their “cand.mag-degee” (“cand.mag” is a former degree and title obtained after three or four years of undergraduate study, similar to a bachelor’s degree).
From the academic year of 1998/1999, data on credits obtained for every course in a study program at higher education level was collected. Subsequently, after a restructuration of the data collection, the data base includes all exams taken at tertiary vocational colleges, university colleges and universities. From 1998/1999, this implied that an attainment at a specific higher education level could also be obtained on the basis of the sum of credits obtained, in addition to attainment by completing the education at higher education level. For example, if a student obtained a total of 120 credits in mathematical and natural sciences at higher education, the student would be attributed educational attainment of higher education – undergraduate level.
However, as of 2006, changes have been made to the level definitions in all the statistics of the Educational attainment of the Population. The changes were done primarily to increase the harmonization between the Norwegian level definitions and international guidelines. In general, the requirements to be defined at upper secondary level and higher education was restricted.
Comparability of immigrants’ educational attainment over time is influenced by the fact that all immigrants with missing educational attainment has been attributed an educational attainment level as of 2014 (see section 'Collection of data, editing and estimations' above).
There is no educational information on completed education by Norwegian-born individuals abroad between 1980 and 1986. In 1992, data on Norwegian-born individuals who were studying abroad between 1986-1992 and who received financial support were obtained from the State Educational Loan Fund, Norway (Lånekassen). This kind of information has ever since been obtained annually from Lånekassen.
The education statistics are not based on sample selection, and Statistics Norway attempts to embrace every pupil and student that the statistics by definition should include. There could be cases of pupils and students not being included in the statistics. This may be due to inadequate reporting or Statistics Norway not being aware of all relevant data registry sources.
Possible errors may be related to the educational files that form the basis for the statistics on the Educational Attainment of the Population or errors in the responses of respondents in some of the surveys, although most errors are identified in the control and audit routines at Statistics Norway. See general principles for revisions in Statistics Norway.
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Analyses, articles and publications
Key figures / 7 January 2021Facts about education in Norway 2021Using text, tables, figures and maps, this publication provides brief facts about education in Norway – from kindergarten to university.
Publication / 18 June 2014Imputation of missing data among immigrants in the Register of the Population's Level of Education (BU)This documentation describes a proposed method for imputing missing data among immigrants in the Register of the Population’s Level of Education (BU) in Norway.