Top 50 Most Educated Countries in the World

What are the top 50 most educated countries in the world in 2017? Education is of paramount importance in a life trajectory of any individual which is why we, at Insider Monkey, thought it would be useful to create the list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world.

Education, be it formal or informal, is a valuable asset that makes it a lot easier to overcome the obstacles life has in store for us. While acquiring knowledge and certain skills proves to be most useful, regardless of the manner in which this knowledge and these skills are attained, it is evident that society nowadays places far more importance on formal education as opposed to informal education. This should not be the case as the value of the knowledge remains the same at all times, regardless of the given context. Ultimately, we are all on the quest for reaching the conclusive truth, and we should use all means at our disposal to complete the said quest successfully. It certainly helps if we engage with others who give themselves into intellectual endeavors, students, professors, and academics.

We already wrote about the countries which offer the best possibilities for formal education in our article about the countries with best education systems in the world. In our article on the most educated countries in the world, we explore the positive impact good education system has on its citizenry. In this article, however, we provide the list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) publish reports on education systems around the world. These reports present the data gathered as education rankings by the nation. According to WEF, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Singapore, and the Netherlands had the best education systems in the world in 2016. Scandinavian countries are ranked among the top 10 as having the best education system in the world year after year. Their approach to education is definitely an example to other countries. As the latest report by WEF indicates, Denmark has the best education system in Europe. Some of the countries in Africa are considered to have the worst education systems in the world. This is due to a significant lack of funding that goes into education. For example, Burkina Faso has the third worst education system according to the UN’s education index. It is estimated that only 20 % of adult population in this country is literate. Sudan is also one of the African countries with a low-quality education. As World Bank suggests, 53.4 % of children who come from the poorest households are not in school.

When drafting the list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world, we have taken into account the data from WEF’s report and UN’s education index we already mentioned, as well as the data published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), that is, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reports. We also used the statistics published by the World Bank to illustrate the approach to education, different countries have adopted. After combining the collected data, the final ranking was made. If you are having doubts about where to send your kids to school, you should definitely read the entire article.

So, let’s start with the list of the top 50 most educated countries in the world.

50. Andorra

The lessons in schools in Andorra are carried out in three different languages: French, Spanish, and Andorran. Growing up in such a multilingual environment certainly, has its perks.

49. Malaysia

In 2014, Malaysian government spent 5 % of its GDP on education, that is, 19.7 % of total government spending.

48. Kazakhstan

The mean performance on mathematics scale on PISA in 2014 was 460, which is a pretty good score.

47. Saudi Arabia

In 2013, the adult literacy rate for women in Saudi Arabia was 91 % and 97 % for men.

46. Taiwan

Taiwan ranks 46th in our list of the top 50 most educated countries in the world. Students from Taiwan appear to be rocking tests in mathematics and science. Furthermore, there are a lot of higher education institutions to build on the knowledge gained in high school.

45. Croatia

Primary and secondary education in Croatia, the number 45 in our list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world, are free. You can also study at a public university for free if you do well on the entrance exam and if you did well during your high school studies.

44. Brunei (Negara Brunei Darussalam)

The net enrollment in secondary education in 2015 was 86 % for women and 84 % for men.

43. Chile

In 2015, the adult literacy rate for women and men was 96 %.

42. Argentina

In 2014, the gross enrollment in tertiary education was 83 %, which is pretty high.

41. Liechtenstein

In 2006 PISA report, Liechtenstein was ranked 10^th on the list of countries with the best education system.

40. Lithuania

The mean performance on science scale of Lithuania in 2015 PISA was 475.

39. Hungary

In the report published by WEF for 2016-2017, Hungary is ranked 46^th on the list of countries with the best education system.

38. Cyprus

The gross enrollment in tertiary education in 2015 was 60 %, 69 % for women and 51 % for men.

37. Hong Kong

The mean score on the mathematics scale in 2015 PISA was the amazing 548!

36. Slovakia

We are continuing the top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world list with Slovakia that was ranked 36^th in 2015 PISA, with a mean score of 461. Go Slovakia!

35. Qatar

Qatar has a diverse education system, offering opportunities to get the education at both, private and public schools. It even has a place called Education City.

34. Russia

The adult literacy rate in 2010 was 100 %. The gross enrollment in tertiary education in 2015 was the amazing 80 %.

33. Greece

Greece might have some financial troubles, but its education system appears to be functioning rather well, producing individuals who are skilled in working in a variety of sectors.

32. The United Arab Emirates

I have always wanted to visit UAE, but now that I know its education system is awesome, I want to visit it even more. The mean performance in 2015 PISA was 437.

31. Malta

Malta ranks 31st in our list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world. It is ranked 41^st on UNDP ranking of the countries with the best education system in the world and 28^th in WEF report for 2016-2017.

30. Portugal

The gross enrollment in tertiary education in 2015 was 62 %, 66 % for women and 58 % for men.

29. Italy

Italy is ranked 26^th on UNDP ranking and 43^rd on WEF ranking.

28. Latvia

In 2014, the government of Latvia spent 5.3 % of GDP on education.

27. Spain

The gross enrollment in tertiary education in 2015 was 90 %, 97 % for women and 82 % for men.

26. Poland

Another European country to make our list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world. On WEF ranking, Poland occupies 30^th place.

25. Luxembourg

The mean score in 2015 PISA of Luxembourg was 483, placing it among the top 30 countries.

24. Czech Republic

In 2013, the government of the Czech Republic, next one in our list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world, spent 4.1 % of the total GDP on education, that is, 9.6 % of the total government expenditure.

23. Israel

Israel is ranked 18^th on WEF list and 19^th on UNDP list of the countries with the best education in the world.

22. Austria

The mean score in 2015 PISA was 495, placing it 23^rd on the list.

21. France

France has a lot more to offer than the romantic sights, and that is proper education to those seeking the knowledge.

20. Iceland

Imagine sitting by the window while preparing for an exam and occasionally resting your eyes by looking at aurora borealis. It does not get better than that!

19. Slovenia

Slovenia is ranked 19^th on WEF list of the countries with the best education system in the world in 2016-2017.

18. Estonia

In 2011, Estonia’s adult literacy rate was 100 %. The gross enrolment rate in tertiary education in 2015 was 70 %.

17. Belgium

The first thing that comes up to one’s mind when Belgium is mentioned is chocolate; excellent education comes second.

16. The Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea is ranked 15^th on UNDP’s list and 22^nd on WEF’s ranking. Pretty good score!

15. Japan

Japan is set on breaking all the barriers in technological advancements and now in education too. It was ranked 2^nd in 2015 PISA report.

14. Ireland

Ireland occupies the 16^th position on WEF 2016-2017 ranking and 11^th on UNDP ranking. Go Ireland!

13. Sweden

One of the many things Sweden is good at is providing proper education to its citizenry. In 2014, the Swedish government used 7.7 % of its GDP on funding education.

12. The United States of America

The USA was ranked 25^th in 2015 PISA report with a mean score of 496. In 2015, the gross enrollment rate in tertiary education was 86 %.

11. Finland

Finland was ranked 5^th in 2015 PISA report with the mean score of 531. Whatever policies they have with regards to education, they are definitely working.

10. United Kingdom

With the United Kingdom, we are entering the top ten in our list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world. UK ranks 7^th on WEF ranking for 2016-2017 and 14^th on UNDP ranking.

9. Denmark

As WEF report for 2016-2017 indicates, Denmark has the best education system in the world in 2017.

8. Canada

The mean score on 2015 PISA which Canada recorded was 528, ensuring it 7^th rank.

7. Germany

In 2014, Germany spent 5 % of its GDP on education, that is, 11.1 % of total government spending.

6. Norway

Norway occupies the first position on UNDP’s world education rankings list by country placing it high on our list too.

5. New Zealand

We are continuing our list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world with New Zealand which does not only contain the secrets of the Shire but also the secrets on how to provide the best education to its citizens.

4. Singapore

Singapore was ranked 1^st in 2015 PISA report, with the mean score of 556. In WEF 2016-2017 report, Singapore is ranked 14^th.

3. The Netherlands

The Netherlands is ranked 4^th on WEF list as well as UNDP list, ensuring its high ranking on our list too.

2. Switzerland

Switzerland is ranked 2^nd in WEF report and 3^rd on UNDP ranking. It was ranked 18^th in 2015 PISA report with a mean score of 506.

1. Australia

Australia, the land of kangaroos, is also the land offering the best education system in the world. Excellent scores on education in the relevant reports suggest that Australia has an education system that brings back hope for the survival of the human race.

This was Insider Monkey’s list of top 50 most educated countries with the best education systems in the world.