10 Most Educated Countries in Europe in 2020

Today we will go through the most educated countries in Europe in 2020.

There are different educational systems in different countries, of course, starting from primary to middle and higher education, comprising of more or less same levels of knowledge on all of these. Since primary educational levels are compulsory in Europe, we will focus more on the highest educational levels.

There are many universities in Europe which have century old traditions. First European universities originated as part of monasteries and monastic schools, like Grammars for example. In these Grammar schools, main fields of interest were studies of Latin language, writing and rhetoric skills and sometimes also included arithmetic and other more scientific oriented knowledge.

Later on, universities in Europe were funded and supported by kings and governing instances. First European independent universities include universities of Bologna (as the first university ever founded), Oxford and Paris which date back to 11^th and 12^th century. During the Middle Ages number of universities in Europe has increased rapidly.

The rise of modern universities was seen in the 19^th century. The “modernization” was seen in the secularization of universities and orienting more and more towards scientific approaches. Also, the other important thing about these universities was making them more accessible to ordinary people and even those of low or no income at all. That was also the time when national public universities were first opened.

With a long and important history of high education, Europe is still a great place for studying. There are many universities in Europe that teach in English. On that matter, you might be interested to find out which the best universities in Europe for international students are. There are many universities, apart from those in UK and Ireland where international students can find cheap universities that teach in English and some of the best counties to study in Europe for international students where that is possible are Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. From the huge list of universities in Europe some that offer cheap education in English, and also highly ranked, are: University of Oslo, Uppsala University, University of Tübingen, Leiden University, just to name some.

On the matter of the best European country to study and work, it will mostly depend on the time spent at the University, and the subject you are studying, studying for some professions just wouldn’t leave you free time for work. But some of the countries where working and studying is possible and affordable are France, Germany, Spain, and the UK. That is because universities in many countries are mostly public. For example, a great majority of universities in countries like Norway, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Italy or Ireland. In some others, although majority being public there is a certain number of private universities in Spain, France, and Poland. Anyway, getting some of the funding from organizations like Erasmus+, for example, can open a wide variety of opportunities with no necessity of working while studying.

Some of the best and most famous European universities concerning technology and science would certainly include ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, being at the top of university rankings together with University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. These are also some of the recommendations for the top universities in Europe for engineering. Furthermore, check out the list of Europe universities and take your pick.

Concerning education in Europe, you will surely find the countries that are on our list at the Top 50 Most Educated Countries with the Best Education Systems in the World as well.

We have made our main ranking by percentage of the population with tertiary level education for the population of 25-64 of age categories. The data came from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), and the figures are the situation from 2016. We have also then added a parameter showing the quality of education just as a comparison to the quantity data we have ranked our list on. The education quality data comes from World Economic Forum’s report on Global Competitiveness Rankings for 2019-2020, with the data in subcategory Education Quality. The highest score for education quality is 7.

So now when we have gone through the short history of European universities, and also seen that the level of European education is among the top in the world, let’s see which are those most educated countries in Europe in 2020:

10. Iceland

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 47

Students are required to go to school until the age of 16. Almost every school in Iceland is public. Very few are private. School for 1 – 6 year olds are called playschools and it’s not required. College is free in Iceland, but registration fees are required. The literacy rate of Iceland is 99% for both men and women.

9. Belgium

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 47.4

The education system is divided into three categories, Flemish, French and German. Each finances its own. The federal government oversees very little of it. People go to school from the age of 6 to 18 and it’s required. Schools are either subsidized free schools that are mainly Catholic, subsidized public schools and schools owned by their communities. And although it’s not required, about 90% of children attend pre-school.

8. Sweden

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 47.5

A good thing about countries like Sweden is that higher education is completely free. Also, the quality of education is ranked very high. Now some recent trends: there were fewer applicants for the higher education in Sweden in 2017 compared to 2016, but more applicants were accepted to the universities in 2017.

7. Netherlands

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 47.6

It looks quaint but this place doesn’t fool around. Prostitution is legal, thank god because everyone deserves protection. Required school is there until you’re 16 and while most instruction is in the native Dutch, English is apparently making its way into the curriculum.

6. Norway

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 48.2

This one surprises me actually because if you go there, it seems like even the folks working fast food counters have a PhD. They learn English in addition to the native language in schools. Everyone is so freakin fit and pretty and smart it’s annoying and scary and admirable at the same time. I’m telling you, they’re super people and they’re going to take over the world.

5. Switzerland

Percentage of population with high education: 51.2

As one of the most educated countries in Europe in 2018, Switzerland also has the top score in education quality with the score 6.1 out of 7. And the trend does not seem to fall down. Although not among the cheapest ones, Switzerland’s universities are among the best and offer all the luxury not only of studying but of living ass well.

4. Luxembourg

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 54.8

There is one public university in Luxembourg founded in 2003 and several other institutions where people can get a higher education. Having in mind small population of Luxembourg this number is more than enough to satisfy country’s need for higher education. Being one of the most educated countries in Europe in 2018, Luxembourg also has a good score of education level, being 5.1 out of 7.

3. Lithuania

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 55.6

Surprising to say the least. I’ve hardly even heard of this country before. I mean, do you even know its capital? People are required to go to school until they’re 16. Apparently the literacy rate for folks older than 16 is 100%.

2. Ireland

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 56.2

They’ve had their fair share of misery and yet when you go there you can’t help but love everyone and everything around you. Beautiful inside and out, it’s not surprising to see that these folks are also some of the most educated in the world.

1. Russia

Percentage of population of 25 – 34 year olds with high education: 62.7

The government provides most of the education. From 2005 to 2014, the percentage of the GDP spent on education increased from 2.7% to 3.8% but that amount still remains below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 5.2%. The school system lasts 11 years and they say bribery is rampant in the system, where students need to pay bribes to the professors to pass an exam.

This wraps it up for our list of most educated countries in Europe in 2020.