“Education is, of course, of paramount importance, not just for ensuring that children get the best possible chance to succeed in life, but also for their personal growth and development.

There are a number of factors that can tell us how good an environment is for nurturing children’s education, but where are the best places in the world when it comes to encouraging learning?

To find out, the mortgage experts at money.co.uk analysed countries around the globe on factors such as academic performance, government funding, and enrolment rates to reveal the world’s best countries for education.

The new research ranked the United Kingdom in 11th place, with a score of 7.80, just 0.01 behind Finland. The UK has a 99% primary school enrolment rate and a 97% secondary school enrolment rate. The UK also sees education facilities receive 5.2% of Government expenditure.

Taking all of the factors into account, Singapore ranks as the best nation for education, with an overall score of 9.10 out of 10. Singapore has a near-perfect record when it comes to school enrollment and the number of children out of school, at both primary and secondary levels, and is also the country with the highest level of people educated to tertiary (university) level, at 29.7%, as well as when it comes to academic performance.

The highest-ranked European nation is Iceland, scoring highly both for enrolment (100% at primary level and 91% for secondary) and government spending on education, which stands at 7.6% of the country’s GDP, second only to Denmark. Education in Iceland is compulsory for those between 6 and 16, with homeschooling not allowed, and most institutions being free to attend.

Taking third place is Canada, with an impressive record of nearly 100% enrollment in both primary and secondary school, meaning there are almost 0% of children out of education at both levels.

The research also revealed the top 5 ‘worst’ countries for education and career prospects: 

Jordan ranks as the country with the ‘worst’ education system, with a score of 2.86 out of 10.  The country sees 20% of primary school children and 28% of secondary school adolescents out of school. Similarly, Jordan’s government spends one of the lowest percentages of their GDP on education, at just 3.0%.

Below showcases further insights that were collated from the research. 

• While all levels of education are of course important, it’s at primary school where children develop the building blocks of their learning that sets them up for the rest of their lives. Six different countries had a primary enrollment rate of practically 100%, Canada, Singapore, Norway, Malta, Iceland, and Malaysia.
• Looking at which countries have the highest average score on the QS World University Rankings, it’s the small state of Singapore that comes first.
• The commitment from the government to education is a big part of investing in the country’s future, and the nation that has the greatest spending in this regard is Denmark, spending 7.8% of its GDP.

You can view the full study here: https://www.money.co.uk/mortgages/global-education