Country report

1. STEM education

Enrolment in tertiary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies is good, but the dropout rate is high, and fewer graduate than are needed by the labour market. In 2023, the share of students enrolled in tertiary STEM programme was 28.9%, above the EU average of 26.9%, but below the proposed target of 32%. It has increased since 2015 by 1.4 pps. The share of enrolled female students is the highest in the EU at 37.7% (EU average 32.2%) and close to the proposed target of 40%. With 5.4% of students enrolled at PhD level studying ICT studies, Sweden is one of a few countries which has already reached the proposed EU-level target of 5%. With 30.2% of such students being female, it is close to the EU-level target of 33% of women among the PhD students enrolled in ICT. However, national statistics show that 46% of engineering students do not complete those studies (SCB, 2022). The number of jobs requiring STEM degrees grows much faster than the supply of people with STEM qualifications (Farrahi, N., 2023). Students’ interest in the science programme at upper secondary school shows a slow, but steady downward trend (from 14.7% in 2017/2018 to 12.3% in 2022/2023) (Farrahi, N., 2023) (see Figure 1). The government tasked the National Agency for Education (NAE) to investigate how to encourage more upper secondary students to move into STEM fields (Regeringen 2024m).

Sweden has adopted a comprehensive STEM strategy with ambitious goals to boost STEM education. In February 2025, Sweden adopted a STEM strategy covering policy initiatives at all levels of education. It also sets a number of ambitious goals to (i) have at least 15% of top performers in mathematics in PISA by 2033; (ii) increase the share of upper secondary school students in natural science or technical programmes to 25% by 2035; and (iii) increase the number of full-time higher education students in science and technology (currently ca. 85 500) to at least 90 000 by 2035 (including the foundation year) (Regeringen, 2025a). STEM Delegation is a new body established to promote STEM education. It will work on strengthening the cooperation between stakeholders in education and businesses, increasing the interest of girls and women in science and technology, and on integrating social science, humanities and arts into STEM education with a view to increasing the number of students in STEM fields in vocational and higher education. In addition, there are plans to increase the number of exams in STEM-related subjects within vocational higher education, as well as to improve the passing rates and overall attractiveness of STEM programmes (Regeringen, 2025b).

STEM participation in vocational education and training (VET) in Sweden is near EU average. 35.5% of pupils enrolled in medium-level VET in 2023 were in STEM fields. This is slightly below the EU average of 36.3% and far from the proposed EU 2030 target of 45%. In addition, only 15.1% of these learners were female, which is also just below the EU average of 15.4%, and far below the EU 2030 target of 25%.

More people with STEM skills are needed to support the green transition. The Swedish Agency for Growth Policy Analysis notes that the number of STEM graduates today does not seem to meet the increased demand for skills for the green transition (Tillväxtanalys, 2024). A study from the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise shows that 6 out of 10 industries have difficulties recruiting people with the right skills for the climate transition, and 3 out of 4 see the problem persisting until 2045 (Svenskt Näringsliv, 2024). To meet these challenges, Sweden has commissioned the National Agency for Higher Vocational Education to analyse how the educational offer of VET may need to be adapted in the longer term due to the green transition (see Box).

2. Early childhood education and care

Participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is high. In 2024, the participation rate in formal childcare of children under three was 57.7%, standing above the 2030 national target of 53%. It has increased by 0.9 pps since 2023. The rate for children from the age of three to the beginning of the compulsory school was 96.3% in 2023, above the EU-level target of 96%. The difference in participation at different ages is relatively low, only 3.1 pps between three and five year-olds or older children.

Several actions are underway to increase the quality of ECEC. The government grant for quality-enhancing measures in ECEC has been increased by EUR 83 million for 2025, to a total of EUR 268 million. This funding can be used for hiring new staff, reducing the size of children’s groups and improving competencies of ECEC teachers and other staff (Regeringen 2025l). From 1 July 2025, the ECEC curriculum will become largely screen-free for children and the importance of reading and physical exercise will be emphasised (Regeringen 2025d). Nevertheless, shortages of qualified staff remain a challenge, only 43% of staff hold an ECEC teacher licence and 16% are qualified child minders (secondary education level). The shortage is bigger in urban areas (NAE 2025c), especially those with a high share of children with migrant background. NAE’s report about segregation and inequality in ECEC found that the segregation of children with disadvantaged socio-economic and migrant background is pronounced in particular in metropolitan areas. Moreover, ECEC facilities with a higher proportion of disadvantaged children have a slightly lower share of trained ECEC teachers but compensate with fewer children per staff member (NAE 2025a). In 2024, NAE has been tasked to revise legal advice for ECEC facilities and clarify the knowledge level of Swedish that the staff must have, in order to stimulate children’s Swedish language development and give them good conditions before the start of school (Regeringen 2024ac).

3. School education and basic skills

Swedish students perform slightly better in basic skills than their European peers, but underachievement has significantly increased across the entire socio-economic distribution. Underachievement in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 is lower than the EU average: for maths 27.2% vs EU 29.5%, for reading 24.3% vs EU 26.2% and for science 23.7% vs EU 24.2%. However, the share of underachieving students has significantly increased since 2018, affecting the entire socio-economic distribution. That said, nearly 20% of 15 year-olds with low socio-economic background perform well (at least level 4 in at least one PISA domain), higher than the EU average (16.3%), compared with 64.7% among the advantaged students (vs EU: 59%). Data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2023 for pupils in fourth grade of compulsory school (which measure rather how well a pupil masters the school curriculum, than the application of knowledge in real-world situations), give better results, especially in science, where Swedish pupils have one of the best results (though they have been in decline since 2015). In 2025, Sweden has received a country-specific recommendation to ‘Improve educational performance, including of students from disadvantaged socio-economic and migrant backgrounds, by addressing the persistent shortage of qualified teachers, by ensuring equal access opportunities to the schooling system and by further supporting the transition of students to upper secondary school.’ (Council of the European Union, 2025).

Digital skills are in line with the EU average, but strongly affected by the migrant and socio-economic background. The results of ICILS 2023 survey show that 40% of eighth grade students underachieve in digital skills, which is slightly below the EU average of 43%, but much higher than the EU-level target of 15%. According to the Swedish national ICILS report, students with migrant background are much more likely to underachieve: 6 out of 10 pupils who were born abroad from foreign parents do not reach the basic level of digital skills, and there are also significant differences according to socio-economic background. Many Swedish pupils stated that they learnt in school how to find the information and to evaluate how reliable it is (84%) and 82% stated they learnt how to correctly refer to sources, but only 57% have learnt how to recognise security attacks from the internet and only 44% how to change privacy settings (NAE, 2024).

Civic skills are among the best in the EU. In 2022, 78% of pupils in eighth grade had a suitable level of civic knowledge, a much higher percentage than EU average of 63%. However, this is 5 pps lower than in 2016 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS). Girls score 37 points higher than boys, which is one of the highest gender gaps in the EU (average: 26 points gap). Pupils who have suitable level of civic knowledge are more likely to be in favour of gender equality (11 points difference) and equal rights for all ethnic groups (8 points difference), to be concerned about threats to the global environment (8 points difference) and to have positive attitudes towards migrants (5 points difference).

Early school leaving is relatively low but twice as high for foreign-born students as for native-born students. The share of early leavers from education and training in 2024 was 7.2%, 0.2 pps lower than in 2023. It is below the EU average of 9.3%, and the EU-level target of less than 9%. Boys (8.4%) are more likely to leave school early than the girls (5.6%). The urban-rural gap is also significant at 3.4 pps. Foreign-born students are twice as likely as native-born ones to leave school early (12% vs 5.9%).

Better preparation of teachers during their studies could help improve educational outcomes. Studies point to weaknesses in initial teacher education. One study showed significant differences in the knowledge of future math teachers both in maths itself and in specific mathematical teaching competencies (Tossavainen, 2024). Another study showed that students are not familiar with scientific evidence for different methods for early reading and writing development (Tärning et al., 2024). The Swedish government is proposing new investments in teachers’ professional development. It has earmarked EUR 17 million starting in 2026 and a new investment on children’s and students’ language, reading, writing development and mathematical skills for teachers and ECEC teachers, and on methods for teaching children and students whose mother tongue is not Swedish (Regeringen, 2024y).

Reform of the teaching profession and career system, aiming to improve the quality of teaching and increase the attractiveness of teaching profession started in September 2025. An earlier proposed National professional programme for principals, teachers and ECEC teachers was integrated into the Swedish recovery and resilience plan (RRP) as an amendment from autumn 2024 (SE RRP CID Annex, 2024). The programme consists of two parts. The first part is the national structure for the development of professional competencies of principals, teachers and ECEC teachers. The second part is the national merit system for licenced teachers and ECEC teachers, with qualification levels. There are four levels of merit, which will in a few years be tied to the career progression of teachers. Courses need to be at either basic or advanced level and include subject studies, subject didactic studies, studies in the field of ECEC education, cognitive science, special education or leadership in order to be considered as giving merit. The NAE will have responsibility for this programme, and it will be supported by the Council for Professions in the School System (Regeringen 2025q). The NAE’s current projection of shortage of teachers and ECEC teachers for 2038 is 10 600 qualified teachers, with the greatest shortages expected among ECEC teachers, special educational needs teachers, vocational teachers and upper secondary school teachers (NAE 2025b). To ease shortages, access to the shorter supplementary teacher education has been widened and funding for it increased. A new amendment will enable access to this path for people with a degree from additional 16 areas (76 areas vs current 60). Increased funding has been proposed for it, to enable higher education institutions (HEIs) to admit more students (Regeringen 2025e).

Sweden is taking steps to ease transition to upper-secondary level, but challenges remain. In Sweden, many pupils fail to meet the grade requirements for enrolling in upper secondary education (in 2022 it was 15% of all pupils). Principals of compulsory schools are required to provide holiday school for pupils who might not qualify for upper secondary education and for those with weaker language skills. The report from the School Inspectorate confirmed that differences in grading practices remain an issue, in particular in subjects without national tests (Skolinspektionen 2024). A recent inquiry has also looked into ways of addressing the problem of grade inflation to ensure that admission to upper-secondary level is based on fair and comparable grades, reflecting students’ competences. It points out that the current grading system lacks independent reference points. In addition, market mechanisms incentivise further unequal grading and contribute to grade inflation. The inquiry proposes a merit-based calibration model for grades, a numerical grading scale with 10 levels and a new system for national exams that will also be used to calibrate grades at the school level (SOU 2025:18). The results of the inquiry are now in public consultations, with the suggestion that the reform could start from 2028.

4. Vocational education and training

Sweden aims to address mismatches between the labour market and VET provision. In 2024, Sweden started implementing the Amendment of the Education Act for upper secondary vocational education and training (VET), which requires VET providers to consider both labour market needs and learner interests when planning and organising upper secondary VET. It also requires regions to set goals and priorities for skills provision, and conduct assessments of regional competence needs in both the public and private sectors, over both short-term and long-term horizons. The NAE supported the implementation of this law. This effort aims to resolve mismatches between the labour market and VET provision (Cedefop, & ReferNet, 2025a; ReferNet Sweden, & Cedefop, 2024, October 29).

The expansion of apprenticeships continues. Apprenticeship numbers have been rising since the introduction of financial incentives and a focus on strengthening work-based learning components of VET programmes. This ongoing support by the NAE is part of a broader strategy to strengthen links between education and businesses, ensuring that apprenticeships remain a critical component of VET (Cedefop, & ReferNet, 2025b). In 2024, 64.6% of VET graduates had exposure to work-based learning. This is slightly below the EU average of 65.2%, but above the 2025 target of at least 60%.

In 2024, the government tasked the Swedish National Agency for Education with developing proposals for vocational courses at lower secondary level and for Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) in municipal adult education. The vocational courses aim to provide fundamental vocational skills to learners who have weak knowledge of the Swedish language and lack the qualifications or knowledge needed to study at upper secondary level. The courses are designed to meet the skill needs of different industries and to qualify learners to enter the labour market in professional fields such as service or horticulture. The NAE reported to the government on such course proposals in November 2024. The final report is due by 15 April 2026 (Cedefop, & ReferNet, 2025c).

Higher Vocational Education (HVET) in Sweden continued to expand in 2024, with the National Agency for Higher Vocational Education granting 40 000 study places. This represents an increase of 16% from the previous year and includes a rise in remote/online and flexible learning arrangements, providing access to lifelong learning to students across the country. Approximately a third of the programmes are offered remotely. (Cedefop, & ReferNet, 2025d).

5. Tertiary education

Tertiary educational attainment (TEA) is high, with significant gender and urban-rural gaps. In 2024, the TEA rate for people aged 25-34 was 54.4%, 0.3 pps higher than in 2023. It ranks among the highest in the EU (EU average: 44.2%). The gender gap in favour of women is high at 17.2 pps. Recent report by the Swedish Council for Higher Education indicates that the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test providing one of the ways to access HE, likely contributes to higher enrolment among men. (UHR, 2025). The TEA rate of young people living in cities is nearly twice as high as those living in rural areas (67.7 vs 36.5%). TEA of foreign-born people is 6 pps lower than that of native-born ones. In 2024, the employment rate of recent HE graduates (20-34 years) was 89.5%, above the EU average of 86.7%, but 2.3 pps lower than in 2023.

In 2021 and 2022 the number of places in higher education has significantly increased, but has only moderately increased for teacher education. Sweden is using the funding from Recovery and Resilience Facility to finance additional full-time equivalent places in vocational education and in higher education. In 2022, Sweden has reported more than 18 000 additional registered full-time equivalent students in higher education (SE RRP, 2022). Further increases were planned in the RRP for 2023-25. Although the RRP measure should focus on programmes geared towards shortage occupations, only 263 new places were created in teacher education for teachers for vocational schools.

High drop-out from teacher education limits the number of new entrants to the profession.  Audit Sweden has reviewed dropouts from shortage occupations, including teacher education. Dropouts were measured by the proportion of students who have started the programme that graduate within the nominal duration of the programme + 3 years. It found that in 2021/2022, 72% of students of ECEC teacher studies graduated in that time, 61% of primary school teacher studies and only 46% of subject teacher studies (see Figure 2). Dropout from subject teacher studies was the biggest for all the studies compared. The most common reasons for dropping out of the primary school teacher studies are insufficient basic skills (e.g. Swedish and mathematics) and wrong study choice. The review has shown that higher education institutions (HEIs) use many initiatives to tackle dropouts. However, monitoring remains a challenge. To improve the effectiveness of measures, better means to identify students at risk and more information on drivers behind dropping out are needed. Moreover, better career guidance could prevent wrong choice of studies (Riksrevisionen, 2025).

6. Adult skills and learning

Sweden has consistently excelled in adult education, significantly surpassing EU targets for adult participation in education and training. The 2022 Adult Education Survey (AES) reported an impressive participation rate of 66.5% among adults aged 25-64, the highest in the EU. This is well above the EU average of 39.5% and surpasses the Social Pillar Action Plan target of 60% by 2030. Despite this, some challenges remain, with a major persisting challenge being the skills mismatch on the labour market. Multiple sectors face skills shortages. However, there is also a high unemployment rate in Sweden (8.4% vs 5.9% EU average) due to the unemployed not having the right skills for the jobs that are available. A major challenge regarding the adult learning system is that disadvantaged groups are underrepresented in adult learning participation. The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences (PIAAC) 2023 report showed that two groups more often lack sufficient skills (i) adults without upper secondary education; and (ii) foreign-born adults (Statistics Sweden, 2024).

In response to the challenges, Sweden has implemented several significant reforms in adult learning. In 2025, several significant structural changes will take effect in Sweden’s adult education system. The goal is to improve accessibility and align education more closely with labour market needs. One of the main changes is the shift towards regional planning and collaboration (prop. 2021/22:159). Another major initiative is the STEM strategy, which seeks to increase the number of students pursuing STEM education across all levels, including adult education (Regeringen, 2025a). Under the framework of this strategy, the government has emphasised the importance of making STEM education more appealing to adult learners. The JTF and ERDF programmes in Sweden support upskilling and reskilling. The JTF targets employees in key industrial regions undergoing decarbonisation to maintain employability and adapt to green technologies. The ERDF focuses on helping enterprises adapt to new technologies and innovations, including digitalisation, green transition, and sustainable development, within smart specialisation.