This indicator shows the distribution of the levels of educational attainment between the various population groups living in Switzerland. Educational attainment is a decisive factor in people’s socio-economic status.
From an integration perspective, the aim is to reduce the share of people without post-compulsory education and to increase the share with a tertiary level qualification.
People with upper secondary education are overrepresented among the population without a migration background and in the population with a migration background from the second or subsequent generations. The population with a migration background belonging to the first generation has the highest rate of compulsory education and tertiary education.
Between 2012 and 2020, the share of persons without post-compulsory education has significantly decreased in all population groups. The same is true of upper secondary level education among the population without a migration background and the first generation. The rates of tertiary education have significantly increased in all populations studied.
Between 2021 and 2022, the share of persons with a level of education corresponding to compulsory education has increased for the population with a migration background of the first generation, whereas the share of secondary II graduates has significantly decreased for the same group.
The population without a migration background has widely varying rates between the different levels of education. Upper secondary level is the most common in all the major regions, followed by tertiary level and finally compulsory education.
In the population with a migration background, there is less variation. Tertiary level education dominates in four major regions: the Zurich region, Central Switzerland, the Lake Geneva region and North-West Switzerland. Upper secondary is the most common level of education in Eastern Switzerland, the Espace Mittelland, and Ticino.
Compulsory education: Under the HarmoS Agreement, compulsory education lasts 11 years. It covers primary and lower secondary level. Primary education spans a period of eight years, including pre-school or first learning cycle, while lower secondary lasts three years.
Upper secondary level: This follows on from compulsory education. According to the HarmoS Agreement, it starts 11 years after the start of primary level and comprises generation education options on the one hand and vocational options on the other. Courses generally last between two and four years and lead to a federal academic or vocational baccalaureate, a specialised school diploma, a Federal VET Diploma or a Federal VET Certificate. Upper secondary level qualifications allow holders to pursue tertiary education.
Tertiary level: There are two different pathways at tertiary level: professional education and higher education. Professional education comprises a wide variety of training courses (around 460 disciplines). The qualifications awarded by PET colleges and higher technical schools involve a qualification at upper secondary level and in the latter case, several years of professional experience. Higher education institutions comprise universities (i.e. cantonal universities and federal institutes of technology), universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education, as well as other higher education institutions that are partially or entirely publicly funded. These courses lead to a diploma, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or a PhD (at universities only).
Share of the permanent resident population aged 15 and over by educational attainment.
To determine a person’s educational attainment, the different levels of education studied are ordered hierarchically. The person’s educational attainment (or highest completed educational level) is used to determine level of education. Three different levels are used:
Compulsory education
- compulsory education not completed;
- compulsory education completed;
- commercial or general education school (1 year), household or language training.
Upper secondary level
- basic vocational training;
- apprenticeship;
- full-time vocational school;
- general education school;
- academic baccalaureate, vocational baccalaureate, teacher training college.
Tertiary level
- advanced federal PET diploma or certificate;
- professional or technical school;
- PET college or higher technical school;
- university, university of applied sciences, university of teacher education or federal institute of technology.
