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Norway

This country note provides an overview of key characteristics of the education system in Norway based on
Education at a Glance 2024. In line with the thematic focus of Education at a Glance 2024, it highlights
issues of equity in education. Data in this note are provided for the latest available year as indicated in
Education at a Glance 2024.

The output of educational institutions and the impact of learning

• Adults without upper secondary qualification are at considerable risk of poor social and labour-
market outcomes throughout their lives. Reducing the share of young adults without an upper
secondary qualification has been a priority in many countries and their share has decreased
between 2016 and 2023 in 28 out of 35 OECD member countries. This is also the case in Norway.
Their share of 25-34 year-olds without upper secondary educational attainment decreased by 4
percentage points between 2016 and 2023. At 15%, it is 1 percentage point above the OECD
average in 2023 (Figure 1).
• The difficult labour-market situation faced by workers without an upper secondary qualification is
reflected in employment rates among 25-34 year-olds. In Norway, 68% of 25-34 year-olds without
an upper secondary qualification are employed, compared to 86% of those with an upper
secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary qualification. The corresponding OECD averages are
61% and 79%, respectively. Moreover, workers without an upper secondary qualification are at risk
of earning very low wages in most OECD countries. In Norway, 50% of 25-64 year-olds with below
upper secondary educational attainment earn at or below half the median income compared to
23% of workers with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary educational attainment and
15% of workers with a tertiary qualification. Across the OECD, the respective shares are 28%, 17%
and 10%.
• Strong labour markets and increasing participation in education have led to a decline in the share
of 18-24 year-olds who are neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET) in most
OECD member countries. Across the OECD, the average NEET rate decreased from 15.8% to
13.8% between 2016 and 2023. In Norway, the share of NEETs decreased from 9.7% to 6.0%.
• By almost all available measures, girls and women have better educational outcomes than boys
and men, and in many cases the gap is widening. This is reflected in gender gaps in educational
attainment. In all OECD member countries, women aged 25-34 are as likely or more likely than
their male peers to have a tertiary qualification (54% compared to 41% on average across OECD
countries). With a tertiary educational attainment rate of 68% for women and 47% for men, the gap
is much wider than the OECD average in Norway.
• Although girls and women clearly outperform boys and men in education, the picture is reversed
when they enter the labour market; the key measures of labour-market outcomes are generally
worse for women than for men. Women aged 25-34 are less likely to be employed than men, with
 2
the gap typically widest for those with below upper secondary educational attainment and
narrowest for those with tertiary attainment. In Norway, only 61% of young women with educational
attainment below upper secondary educational level are employed, while the corresponding share
for young men is 73% (the corresponding OECD averages are 47% and 72%). In contrast, 89% of
young women with a tertiary qualification are employed, while the corresponding share for young
men is 91% (the corresponding OECD averages are 84% and 90%). However, tertiary attainment
does not help to reduce the wage gap between men and women. Across the OECD, young women
with a tertiary qualification earn on average 83% of the wage of their male peers, while the
corresponding fraction is 85% in Norway. Among those with upper secondary or post-secondary
non-tertiary attainment, young women earn on average 84% of the wage of their male peers across
the OECD and 77% in Norway.
• Parents’ education has a strong impact on the educational attainment of their children. In Norway,
65% of 25-64 year-olds who have at least one parent with tertiary attainment also attained a tertiary
qualification. In contrast, only 29% of 25-64 year-olds with parents without an upper secondary
qualification have obtained a tertiary qualification themselves. This compares to the averages of
72% and 19%, respectively.

Figure 1. Trends in the share of 25-34 year-olds with below upper secondary educational
attainment (2016 and 2023)
In per cent

1. The OECD average is derived from the unweighted mean of all countries with available and comparable data for both years.
Countries are ranked in descending order of the share of 25-34 year-olds with below upper secondary attainment in 2023.
Source: OECD (2024), Table A1.2. For more information see Education at a Glance 2024 Sources, Methodologies and Technical Notes
(https://doi.org/10.1787/e7d20315-en).
 3
Access to education, participation and progression

• Childcare and parental leave policies vary considerably between countries. Of particular
importance for low-income families is the so-called childcare gap, the period between the end of
paid parental leave and the start of free early childhood education and care or compulsory
education. In eight OECD countries, there is no childcare gap as free early childhood education or
compulsory education starts immediately following the end of paid parental leave. Norway has an
above average childcare gap of 4 years between the end of paid parental leave and the start of
free compulsory education. On the other hand, full coverage of partially publicly funded ECEC from
the age of 1 provides an opportunity for both parents to engage in the labour market.
• Participation in early childhood education and care is particularly important for children from
disadvantaged families. However, in Norway, as in most other OECD countries, children aged 0-2
from families in the bottom income tertile are less likely to participate in childcare than children from
the top income tertile (59% compared to 70%). The difference of 11 percentage points in
participation between children from families in the top and bottom tertile is smaller than the OECD
average of 19 percentage points.
• Early childhood education can help to reduce the developmental gaps that put some children at a
disadvantage when they enrol in primary school. In most OECD countries, the large majority of
children are enrolled in early childhood education one year before the start of primary education.
In Norway, 98% of children in this age group are enrolled, compared with an OECD average of
96%.
• Although most children and youths participate in education in the years before and after
compulsory education, not all do so. In order to increase enrolment in the early years or among
youths, twelve OECD member and accession countries have increased the duration of compulsory
education over the past decade. Norway does not belong to this group. Compulsory education in
Norway lasts from the age of 6 to 16 for a total of 10 years, which is below the OECD average of
11 years (Figure 2).
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Figure 2. Duration of compulsory education (2022)
In years

Note: The year in parentheses indicates when policy changes were made to the duration of compulsory education. In addition, extended
ECEC/extended upper secondary refers to the extension in the duration of the relevant level since 2013.
1. There are other compulsory activities to complete by the end of compulsory education (see Table B2.1).
2. Starting age, ending age, and duration of compulsory education may vary at sub-national level.
Countries are ranked in descending order of the duration of compulsory education.
Source: OECD (2024), Table B2.1. For more information see Education at a Glance 2024 Sources, Methodologies and Technical Notes
(https://doi.org/10.1787/e7d20315-en).

• The likelihood of tertiary students successfully completing their studies depends on their family
background. In Norway, 76% of students with at least one parent with tertiary attainment
successfully completed their tertiary studies within three years of the theoretical end of the
programme, while only 66% of students whose parents had less than upper secondary education
did so.
• Women are significantly over-represented in tertiary education and the gap is widening in most
countries. In Norway, 57% of new entrants to tertiary education are women, compared with an
OECD average of 56%. As women are also more likely than men to complete tertiary education,
the gap is even greater among graduates (see Education at a Glance 2022). However, there are
large differences between fields of study in all OECD countries. In Norway, only 12% of women
entering tertiary education were studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields,
while only 7% of men were entering education-related fields.
 5
• Across the OECD, 63% of students who graduated with a bachelor's degree did so from public
institutions. However, private education is slowly becoming more common across all levels of
tertiary education and the share of graduates from private institutions has grown by 3 percentage
points between 2013 and 2022. In Norway, the share of bachelor's graduates from private
institutions increased from 13% to 19%.

Financial resources invested in education

• The average annual expenditure per student from primary to tertiary education (including R&D) in
Norway is USD 20 642 compared to an average of USD 14 209 in OECD countries. In most
countries, expenditure increases by level of education. In Norway, spending per student is
USD 18 037 in primary education, USD 19 831 in secondary education and USD 26 299 in tertiary
education (Figure 3).1
• Norway spends 6.5% of its gross domestic product (GDP 2) on educational institutions at primary
to tertiary levels (including R&D). This is more than the OECD average of 4.9% of GDP. On average
across the OECD, the share of GDP dedicated to educational institutions (from primary to tertiary
levels) has been broadly stable, with 4.9% in 2015 and 2021. However, trends vary considerably
between countries. Norway is among the countries where expenditure as a share of GDP remained
roughly constant at 6.5%.
• Early childhood education has received much attention in recent years because of its importance,
especially for children from disadvantaged families. In Norway, public investment in early childhood
education relative to GDP stayed constant between 2015 and 2021. Across the OECD, it has
increased on average by 9% over this period.

1
All expenditure figures in this note are expressed in USD calculated based on purchasing power parity
(PPP) exchange rates.
2
For Norway the mainland value of the Gross Domestic Product is used.
 6
Figure 3. Total expenditure per full-time equivalent student in primary, secondary and tertiary
education (2021)
In equivalent USD converted using PPPs, expenditure on educational institutions

1. Primary education includes pre-primary and lower secondary programmes.

Countries are ranked in descending order of the total expenditure per full-time equivalent student in primary education.
Source: OECD (2024), Table C1.1. For more information see Education at a Glance 2024 Sources, Methodologies and Technical Notes
(https://doi.org/10.1787/e7d20315-en).

• Across the OECD, public authorities are responsible for the vast majority of spending on education,
particularly at compulsory levels. In Norway, 100% of total expenditure on primary institutions
comes from public sources, which is above the OECD average of 93%. Private expenditure makes
up a greater share in pre-primary and tertiary education in many countries. In Norway, the share
of public expenditure on pre-primary education is 87%, similar to the OECD average of 86%, while
for tertiary education it is 91%, compared to an OECD average of 68%.
• How private institutions are funded varies considerably across countries, with some fully or largely
government funded, while others receive little or no public funding. In Norway, government sources
spend USD 17 779 per full-time equivalent student in public primary institutions (the OECD
averages are USD 11 914 for public primary institutions and USD 7 867 for private ones).
• Tuition fees are an important component of private expenditure on tertiary education, but they vary
considerably across countries. In Norway, no tuition fees are charged for national students in public
institutions.
 7
Teachers, the learning environment and the organisation of schools

• Between 2015 and 2023, nominal statutory salaries increased by 24% in Norway for lower
secondary teachers with 15 years of experience. Most of this increase compensated for the rising
cost of living. In real terms (i.e. adjusted for inflation), teachers’ salaries decreased by 1% over the
eight-year period compared to an average increase of 4% across countries with available data
(Figure 4).

Figure 4. Change in lower secondary teachers’ statutory salaries between 2015 and 2023
Index of change in annual salaries of teachers with most prevalent qualifications after 15 years of experience (2015
= 100)

Note: The change in constant prices refers to the change in salaries assuming the same level of purchasing power between 2015 and 2023
(that is, in 2015 prices), whereas change in current prices refers to the nominal change in salary amount between 2015 and 2023.
1. Excludes Australia, Chile and Colombia as data for some years are missing between 2015 and 2023.
Countries and other participants are ranked in descending order of the change in salaries in constant prices.
Source: OECD (2024), Table D3.6 and Table X2.5. For more information see Education at a Glance 2024 Sources, Methodologies and Technical
Notes (https://doi.org/10.1787/e7d20315-en).

• The work of teachers consists of a variety of tasks including teaching, but also preparing lessons,
grading assignments and communicating with parents. The number of hours that teachers are
contractually obliged to teach varies greatly across countries. In Norway, teachers at lower
 8
secondary level have to teach 663 hours annually. This is below the OECD average of 706 hours
per year.
• Countries make different choices about whether to operate many small schools or fewer large
schools. In Norway, the median primary school has 23 students per grade compared to the OECD
average of 27. The largest 5% of primary schools in Norway have 72 or more students per grade,
while the OECD average is 91 or more. At the other end of the scale, the smallest 5% of primary
schools have 3 or fewer students per grade compared to an OECD average of 5 or fewer students
per grade. Although small schools are important for ensuring primary education is accessible,
especially in sparsely populated rural areas, they can be costly to run and may have to resort to
multi-grade teaching.
• Most education systems involve students and parents in the governance of public schools. In most
countries, it is compulsory for parents’ representatives to be included in the governing board of
public schools. Student participation is less widespread, but still common. In Norway, governing
bodies are not required (but may exist) in public schools.
• Student-teacher ratios vary between countries and between levels of education. On average
across the OECD, there are 14 students per teacher in primary education, 13 students in lower
secondary education and 13 students in upper secondary education. In Norway, the corresponding
numbers are 10 in primary education, 8 in lower secondary education and 10 in upper secondary
education. While lower student teacher ratios allow teachers to focus more on the needs of the
individual, they require higher overall spending on teacher salaries and have to be weighed against
alternative spending priorities.
• Between 2013 and 2022, the average age of teachers has increased across the OECD. In lower
secondary education, 36% of teachers are 50 years or older, compared to 35% in 2013. Norway
has fewer teachers aged 50 or older, with only 31% of teachers being in this age category, down
from 33% in 2013.
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More information

For more information on Education at a Glance 2024 and to access the full set of indicators, see:
https://doi.org/10.1787/c00cad36-en.
For more information on the methodology used during the data collection for each indicator, the references
to the sources and the specific notes for each country, see Education at a Glance 2024: Sources,
Methodologies and Technical Notes (https://doi.org/10.1787/e7d20315-en).
For general information on the methodology, please refer to the OECD Handbook for Internationally
Comparative Education Statistics 2018 (https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304444-en).
Updated data can be found online at http://data-explorer.oecd.org/s/5q and by following the
StatLinks 2 in the publication.
Explore, compare and visualise more data and analysis using the Education GPS:
https://gpseducation.oecd.org/.
Questions can be directed to the Education at a Glance team at the OECD Directorate for Education and
Skills: [email protected].

This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments
employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.

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The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by
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