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In 1995, 22 per cent of OECD-country residents between the ages of 25-64 had a university or college education. In Norway the corresponding figure is 29 per cent while in Canada all of 47 per cent have a university or college education. The percentage of university and college graduates in Sweden is about as high as it is in Norway, while it is somewhat lower in Finland and Denmark, according to the newly released OECD report "Education at a Glance."
The level of education in Norway is much higher than the average in OECD countries. A larger percentage of Norway's population is enrolled in school than in most other OECD countries.
Around 40 per cent of OECD-country residents aged 25-64 do not have more than a basic education, while the figure for Norway is 19 per cent. Thirty-eight per cent of Danes and 35 per cent of Finns in this age group have only a basic education.
Education level and age
Large variations exist in the educational levels of the various age groups. In the age group 25-34, 71 per cent of the population in the OECD countries have at least completed secondary school, while the figure for the 55-64 age group is 41 per cent. The figures for Norway are 88 per cent in the youngest age group and 65 per cent in the oldest. This is far above the average level for OECD countries.
In all age groups, a higher percentage of the Norwegian population has a university or college-level education than in all the OECD countries combined. Sweden has about the same percentage of university or college graduates as Norway in all age groups, while the figures for other Nordic countries are all slightly lower. Canada has the highest education level regardless of age group. Differences between age groups are relatively small in Germany, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
Differences between men and women
There are major differences between the education level of men and women in the 55-64 age group than among persons aged 25-34. In the entire OECD area women make up 48 per cent of the people in the 25-34 age group who have a higher education requiring several years of study and 56 per cent of those who have a higher education of shorter duration. The corresponding figures for the 55-64 age group are 32 and 49 per cent.
In Norway women make up the majority of persons in the youngest age group with a higher education requiring several years of study, a trend which is also the case in many other OECD countries. On the other hand, men are in the majority in all countries among those in the oldest age group who have a higher education requiring many years of study. In Norway, women make up only 43 per cent of persons aged 25-34 who have a basic education, while the average for the OECD is 51 per cent.
Weekly Bulletin issue no. 50, 1997