Major differences between the sexes persist in different fields of education

Economics and business studies was the field of education with the highest number of graduates, 4 100, of whom women accounted for 78 percent. This was followed by health and medical care and social services, with 2 200 graduates, of whom 91 percent were women. In engineering and manufacturing and civil and structural engineering, which had 1 700 graduates and 1 800 graduates respectively, there were predominantly men, who accounted for 78 percent and 72 percent respectively.

The rate of graduation was lower in 2019

The total rate of graduation was 71 percent in 2019, compared with 72 percent in 2018.

The rate of graduation among women fell from 78 percent to 76 percent, while the rate of graduation among men fell from 66 percent to 65 percent. There are also major differences between fields of education.

Among the five largest fields of education, the highest rate of graduation, 78 percent, continues to be noted in the field of economics and business studies. The lowest rate of graduation in the five largest fields of education, 60 percent, was noted in computers/IT. However, there was an increase in computers/IT compared with the previous year.

Distance learning programmes increasing, but with a lower rate of graduation

The proportion of graduates of distance learning programmes increased from 19 percent to 20 percent. In 2019, the rate of graduation in distance learning programmes was 61 percent. The corresponding figure for traditional programmes was 74 percent.

Rate of graduation was highest among women with a Swedish background

The highest rate of graduation, 79 percent, was among women with a Swedish background, while the lowest rate of graduation, 55 percent, was among men with a foreign background. The rate of graduation among women with a foreign background and among men with a Swedish background was 68 percent and 69 percent respectively.