Data for 1999
Mean Years of Schooling, 1999
1999, as UNDP Human Development Report Office’s 2025 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten
Mean Years of Schooling, 1999 covers 159 countries. United States is highest, at 12.9950; Niger is lowest, at 1.1144. The middle country reads 7.3742. Against 1998, 156 values changed (149 up, 7 down), 3 countries joined.
Mean Years of Schooling · Data for 1999
HighestUnited States
12.9950LowestNiger
1.1144Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the better end.
01Position · derived
The table
Every country and every column of Mean Years of Schooling, 1999, as published. UNDP Human Development Report Office ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. “=” marks a shared position.
Showing 25 of 159 countries · select a heading to sort
| derived | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USANorthern America | 12.9950 |
| 2 | NZLAustralia and New Zealand | 12.5360 |
| 3 | CANNorthern America | 12.3120 |
| 4 | DNKNorthern Europe | 12.3100 |
| 5 | DEUWestern Europe | 12.2189 |
| 6 | NORNorthern Europe | 12.0443 |
| 7 | JPNEastern Asia | 12.0405 |
| 8 | ESTNorthern Europe | 11.9206 |
| 9 | RUSEastern Europe | 11.7661 |
| 10 | NLDWestern Europe | 11.7148 |
| 11 | ISLNorthern Europe | 11.6080 |
| 12 | LVANorthern Europe | 11.3305 |
| 13 | AUSAustralia and New Zealand | 11.2955 |
| 14 | SWENorthern Europe | 11.2633 |
| 15 | FINNorthern Europe | 11.1946 |
| 16 | POLEastern Europe | 11.1155 |
| 17 | LIEWestern Europe | 11.0589 |
| 18 | AUTWestern Europe | 11.0157 |
| 19 | BHSCaribbean | 10.9370 |
| 20 | TKMCentral Asia | 10.9249 |
| 21 | CZEEastern Europe | 10.7993 |
| 22 | WSMPolynesia | 10.7716 |
| 23 | LTUNorthern Europe | 10.7641 |
| 24 | UKREastern Europe | 10.7126 |
| 25 | TJKCentral Asia | 10.6931 |
| 26 | CHEWestern Europe | 10.6067 |
| 27 | GBRNorthern Europe | 10.5766 |
| 28 | ISRWestern Asia | 10.5187 |
| 29 | KOREastern Asia | 10.4960 |
| 30 | BELWestern Europe | 10.4547 |
| 31 | ARMWestern Asia | 10.4201 |
| 32 | IRLNorthern Europe | 10.3900 |
| 33 | LUXWestern Europe | 10.3820 |
| 34 | LKASouthern Asia | 10.3417 |
| 35 | BLREastern Europe | 10.2972 |
| 36 | KGZCentral Asia | 10.2900 |
| 37 | AZEWestern Asia | 10.2600 |
| 38 | MDAEastern Europe | 10.1707 |
| 39 | SVNSouthern Europe | 10.1685 |
| 40 | HKGEastern Asia | 10.1390 |
| 41 | HUNEastern Europe | 10.1018 |
| 42 | TONPolynesia | 10.0420 |
| 43 | CUBCaribbean | 9.9042 |
| 44 | CYPWestern Asia | 9.7475 |
| 45 | SVKEastern Europe | 9.6400 |
| 46 | KAZCentral Asia | 9.5400 |
| 47 | BGREastern Europe | 9.4467 |
| 48 | ROUEastern Europe | 9.3830 |
| 49 | SGPSouth-eastern Asia | 9.3160 |
| 50 | HRVSouthern Europe | 9.3160 |
| 51 | FRAWestern Europe | 9.2793 |
| 52 | CHLSouth America | 9.0748 |
| 53 | BRBCaribbean | 8.9962 |
| 54 | GRCSouthern Europe | 8.9743 |
| 55 | MNGEastern Asia | 8.9561 |
| 56 | SMRSouthern Europe | 8.9071 |
| 57 | TTOCaribbean | 8.7750 |
| 58 | ARGSouth America | 8.7340 |
| 59 | ITASouthern Europe | 8.6217 |
| 60 | ALBSouthern Europe | 8.4689 |
| 61 | PERSouth America | 8.3045 |
| 62 | BRNSouth-eastern Asia | 8.2440 |
| 63 | AREWestern Asia | 8.2332 |
| 64 | IRNSouthern Asia | 8.1973 |
| 65 | TUVPolynesia | 8.1781 |
| 66 | MYSSouth-eastern Asia | 8.1225 |
| 67 | FJIMelanesia | 8.1127 |
| 68 | URYSouth America | 8.1043 |
| 69 | PANCentral America | 7.8330 |
| 70 | BHRWestern Asia | 7.7500 |
| 71 | ZAFSouthern Africa | 7.6679 |
| 72 | ESPSouthern Europe | 7.6515 |
| 73 | VENSouth America | 7.5736 |
| 74 | QATWestern Asia | 7.5372 |
| 75 | PHLSouth-eastern Asia | 7.5310 |
| 76 | CRICentral America | 7.4994 |
| 77 | JAMCaribbean | 7.4380 |
| 78 | BWASouthern Africa | 7.4300 |
| 79 | MLTSouthern Europe | 7.3782 |
| 80 | LCACaribbean | 7.3742 |
| 81 | SRBSouthern Europe | 7.3482 |
| 82 | ECUSouth America | 7.2635 |
| 83 | JORWestern Asia | 7.1670 |
| 84 | COGMiddle Africa | 7.1612 |
| 85 | BLZCentral America | 6.9971 |
| 86 | BOLSouth America | 6.9878 |
| 87 | COLSouth America | 6.8109 |
| 88 | NICCentral America | 6.7101 |
| 89 | PRTSouthern Europe | 6.7100 |
| 90 | PRYSouth America | 6.6882 |
| 91 | MEXCentral America | 6.5890 |
| 92 | SAUWestern Asia | 6.5515 |
| 93 | MKDSouthern Europe | 6.4562 |
| 94 | ZWEEastern Africa | 6.3910 |
| 95 | EGYNorthern Africa | 6.3570 |
| 96 | DOMCaribbean | 6.3565 |
| 97 | MUSEastern Africa | 6.2560 |
| 98 | KWTWestern Asia | 6.1346 |
| 99 | GABMiddle Africa | 5.9640 |
| 100 | GUYSouth America | 5.9331 |
| 101 | CHNEastern Asia | 5.9220 |
| 102 | NAMSouthern Africa | 5.7820 |
| 103 | SWZSouthern Africa | 5.6918 |
| 104 | IDNSouth-eastern Asia | 5.6781 |
| 105 | THASouth-eastern Asia | 5.5513 |
| 106 | IRQWestern Asia | 5.5257 |
| 107 | VNMSouth-eastern Asia | 5.4677 |
| 108 | DZANorthern Africa | 5.4538 |
| 109 | LBYNorthern Africa | 5.4020 |
| 110 | TURWestern Asia | 5.3071 |
| 111 | ZMBEastern Africa | 5.2994 |
| 112 | KENEastern Africa | 5.2783 |
| 113 | GHAWestern Africa | 5.1424 |
| 114 | BRASouth America | 5.1007 |
| 115 | SLBMelanesia | 5.0535 |
| 116 | CODMiddle Africa | 5.0255 |
| 117 | LSOSouthern Africa | 4.9086 |
| 118 | SLVCentral America | 4.8500 |
| 119 | TUNNorthern Africa | 4.7931 |
| 120 | STPMiddle Africa | 4.5780 |
| 121 | HNDCentral America | 4.5301 |
| 122 | SYRWestern Asia | 4.3450 |
| 123 | NGAWestern Africa | 4.3378 |
| 124 | BGDSouthern Asia | 4.1910 |
| 125 | LAOSouth-eastern Asia | 4.1759 |
| 126 | TZAEastern Africa | 4.1408 |
| 127 | INDSouthern Asia | 3.9736 |
| 128 | UGAEastern Africa | 3.8682 |
| 129 | GTMCentral America | 3.8479 |
| 130 | MDGEastern Africa | 3.7711 |
| 131 | HTICaribbean | 3.6267 |
| 132 | LBRWestern Africa | 3.4517 |
| 133 | AGOMiddle Africa | 3.3871 |
| 134 | KHMSouth-eastern Asia | 3.3162 |
| 135 | PNGMelanesia | 3.2946 |
| 136 | PAKSouthern Asia | 3.2207 |
| 137 | MARNorthern Africa | 3.1400 |
| 138 | TGOWestern Africa | 3.0145 |
| 139 | CIVWestern Africa | 2.9950 |
| 140 | MRTWestern Africa | 2.9456 |
| 141 | CMRMiddle Africa | 2.8962 |
| 142 | NPLSouthern Asia | 2.8632 |
| 143 | MWIEastern Africa | 2.8620 |
| 144 | MMRSouth-eastern Asia | 2.7619 |
| 145 | SLEWestern Africa | 2.6914 |
| 146 | CAFMiddle Africa | 2.5152 |
| 147 | RWAEastern Africa | 2.3914 |
| 148 | SDNNorthern Africa | 2.3460 |
| 149 | BENWestern Africa | 2.2050 |
| 150 | GMBWestern Africa | 2.1962 |
| 151 | BDIEastern Africa | 1.9450 |
| 152 | SENWestern Africa | 1.7470 |
| 153 | MOZEastern Africa | 1.7116 |
| 154 | GINWestern Africa | 1.4307 |
| 155 | DJIEastern Africa | 1.4290 |
| 156 | AFGSouthern Asia | 1.2289 |
| 157 | YEMWestern Asia | 1.2145 |
| 158 | MLIWestern Africa | 1.1539 |
| 159 | NERWestern Africa | 1.1144 |
02In 1999
At either end
The 5 countries at each end of the headline.
Highest
- 1
United States12.9950
- 2
New Zealand12.5360
- 3
Canada12.3120
- 4
Denmark12.3100
- 5
Germany12.2189
Lowest
- 159
Niger1.1144
- 158
Mali1.1539
- 157
Yemen1.2145
- 156
Afghanistan1.2289
- 155
Djibouti1.4290
A higher value is the better result. The middle country reads 7.3742. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.
031998 → 1999
Since 1998
What changed between 1998 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.
- +3 / −0countries joined / left
- 156values changed, of 156 in both
- 149 · 7rose · fell
- 0unchanged
Rose most
Fell most
South Africa7.8723 → 7.6679−0.2044
Eswatini5.8017 → 5.6918−0.1099
United States13.0300 → 12.9950−0.0350
Senegal1.7779 → 1.7470−0.0309
Australia11.3055 → 11.2955−0.0100
Both years come from the same release, so a difference here is a change in the data, not a revision of it. Every country’s full history is charted on the statistic page.
04Caveats
Read before you use
What this edition’s numbers are and are not, worked out from the file itself.
One year of the 2025 release
Every year in this series comes from UNDP Human Development Report Office’s 2025 release, recalculated on one method. It can differ from what was first published for 1999.
The position is ours
UNDP Human Development Report Office publishes values only; the order is this site’s.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 159 countries has every column.
05The files
Download and cite
The table as a file, digit for digit, what this site changed, and a citation for this edition.
- .csv
For a spreadsheet or code
159 rows · 5.5 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download mean-years-schooling-1999-nations-inquiry.csv - ↗
The publisher’s original
UNDP Human Development Report Office’s own file, on its own site.
HDR25_Composite_indices_complete_time_series.csv
What this site changed: Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO · what it allows, in plain words
Cite this edition
UNDP Human Development Report Office (1999). Mean Years of Schooling, 1999 [data set], describing 1999. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/mean-years-schooling/1999
0634 held
Other years
‹ The year before
Mean Years of Schooling, 1998156 countries
The year after ›
Mean Years of Schooling, 2000179 countries
All of them
Mean Years of Schooling: every year34 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country
07Questions
Mean Years of Schooling, 1999: questions and answers
Which country has the highest mean years of schooling in Mean Years of Schooling, 1999?
United States, at 12.9950, of the 159 countries in the file.
What year does Mean Years of Schooling, 1999 describe?
1999.
How many countries does Mean Years of Schooling, 1999 cover?
159.
Where can I download Mean Years of Schooling, 1999?
On this page, as a CSV file holding every value exactly as published, or from the publisher’s own site, linked below.
Is Mean Years of Schooling, 1999 the newest?
No. The newest held here is Mean Years of Schooling, 2023.