Educational attainment of the population, 1 October 2014

The number of women taking a higher education has been increasing for many years, and the share has increased more among women than among men. The share of men with a higher education is now generally lower than for women. Twenty-eight per cent of men and 35 per cent of women in the population aged 16 and over have completed a higher education.

The disparities are primarily due to a much higher percentage of women than men completing a short higher education; 27 per cent of women and 19 per cent of men. Additionally, the share of men with an upper secondary education as their highest level of education (45 per cent) is larger than for women (38 per cent). The share of men with a long higher education is two percentage points higher (10 per cent) than for women (8 per cent).

Highest education among young women

Out of all age groups, it is women aged 25-39 years who have the largest share with a higher education among the population. More than half have completed a higher education. For the age group 30-34 years, almost six out of ten have a higher education, and almost one in five have a long higher education. Among men aged 25-39 years, around a third have a higher education.

Only among the more mature members of the population is the situation reversed. For those aged 60 years and over, there is still a higher share of men with a higher education than women.

In the period from 1985 to 2014, the changes in the share of the population with a lower secondary education as their highest education have been considerable. In 1985, 46 per cent of the population had a lower secondary education as the highest level, while this share had fallen to 27 per cent in 2014. The share with an upper secondary education as their highest level has remained fairly stable, with the share varying between 41 and 45 per cent of the population.

At the higher level most have an education in natural sciences

Of those with a long tertiary education, 30 per cent have an education in the field of science, vocational and technical subjects. Among men with a long higher education, the largest share is in this field (39 per cent). The share of women with a long higher education is greatest in the social sciences and law (20 per cent). Almost the same share of women have an education in health and social care. Among the short higher educations, most women’s education is in health and social care and sport. Thirty-four per cent of those who have completed a short higher education have completed studies in this field.

New routine for calculating immigrants’ level of education

As of 1 October 2014, Statistics Norway’s register of the population’s highest completed education lacks information on education level for about 25 per cent of immigrants aged 16 and over. This relates to education that is completed abroad before immigration to Norway. The number with an unspecified education grows year by year (see table) as the number of immigrants increases, and it is expected that the number will continue to increase. In order to provide a representative picture of immigrants’ level of education, Statistics Norway has introduced a new routine for calculating the level of education for immigrants with an unspecified education in the register. More information about this new routine, the method used and the effect it has had on the statistics is available in About the statistics. The new routine enables Statistics Norway to present statistics for immigrants with an unspecified education, and provide accurate information on the level of education at an aggregate level.

Unspecified education for immigrants aged 16 years in the register and over, number and percentage