Stockholm has highest level of education

Roughly 40 municipalities, usually in greater urban areas and county seats, have a larger share of highly educated persons than the national average (24 percent). The majority of municipalities with the highest level of education are in Stockholm County. In eight of these municipalities, 30 percent or more of the population has at least three years of post-secondary education. Lund, Lomma, Uppsala, Umeå, Linköping, Göteborg, Mölndal and Knivsta also belong to this group.

The high level of education in the Greater Stockholm area can be largely explained by a labour market with many workplaces in the financial sector and business services, education, research, and public sector administration, all of which have a large share of highly educated persons. In addition, this area has much to offer in higher education and a relatively young population, which has a higher formal education than older persons.

Municipalities with the greatest share and number of inhabitants with at least three years of post-secondary education in 2010. Aged 25–64

Municipality	Share of inhabitants with at least a three year post- secondary education	Municipality	Number of inhabitants with at least three years of post- secondary education
Danderyd	54%	Stockholm	181 400
Lund	50%	Göteborg	90 400
Lomma	42%	Malmö	47 800
Lidingö	42%	Uppsala	39 900
Täby	39%	Lund	28 500
Uppsala	38%	Linköping	24 600
Solna	38%	Umeå	21 700
Stockholm	37%	Örebro	17 700
Umeå	36%	Västerås	17 500
Sollentuna	35%	Nacka	16 600

The educational level is lower in the majority of the municipalities outside the metropolitan areas. With only a few exceptions, the smaller municipalities have a larger proportion with primary and lower secondary education only. These municipalities also have a smaller proportion of highly educated persons compared to the county seats in each county. In most counties the share of highly educated persons is significantly higher in the county seat compared to other municipalities in the given county.

The presentation of all municipalities' educational levels

Over a million highly educated Swedes

More than every third Swede aged 25-64, 38 percent, has some form of post‑secondary education. 24 percent have at least a three years of post-secondary education, corresponding to 1 147 000 persons. The share of highly educated persons has increased in recent years by slightly less than one percentage point per year.

Educational level by sex in 2010 aged 25–64

Thousands Graph - Educational level by sex in 2010 aged 25–64

Young women have highest education

Women have a higher educational level than men. More women than men have post-secondary education and fewer only have primary and lower secondary education. However, regarding postgraduate education on the whole, women are still behind men. The proportion of women with postgraduate education is 38 percent.

Women aged 25-34 are a particularly well-educated group. Half of the women in this age group have some kind of post-secondary education. Roughly one in three women, 37 percent, in this age group have at least a three year post-secondary education, while the corresponding share for men is one in four. This difference is because more women continue with higher education. Currently about 50 percent more women than men are registered at Swedish universities and institutes of higher education.