DATA MAPPING

Data Mapping

The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings found on this website are the outputs of a collaborative process between the UIS and UNESCO Member States.They aim to map national education systems according to ISCED and are an essential tool for organizing information on national education systems, their programmes and related qualifications. The mappings facilitate the cross-national comparability of education statistics and indicators and enable analysts to understand and interpret them.

ISCED mappings ensure a transparent process of coding national education programmes and related qualifications into comparable categories for use in international statistics by linking the classification criteria to the properties of the education programmes and their related qualifications.

The mappings provide clear direction on how to report national education data for international purposes. For example, in some education systems basic education lasts for eight years as opposed to a clear delineation between primary and lower secondary levels in terms of duration and content. ISCED provides the framework to help statisticians classify diverse systems in such a way that they can be compared across countries.

How are the mappings produced?

In 2007, the UIS launched a special survey to gather detailed information on national education systems worldwide. The survey includes a range of questions for each education programme on issues such as entry requirements, entry age, duration and diplomas obtained, as well as their corresponding ISCED level for pre-primary to tertiary education. In addition, countries are consulted individually, when necessary, to resolve potential classification problems which might compromise the comparability of their education data.

Based on this information, the UIS produces individual ISCED mappings for each country in consultation with national statisticians. In particular, the UIS works closely with sub-Saharan African countries to improve their ISCED mappings as part of efforts to improve data quality in the region.

Who uses the mappings?

First and foremost, the mappings help Member States to report their data in an internationally comparable framework. Further, the UIS publishes the mappings to allow for a. international comparability of the submitted education statistics and b. more specific information on a country’s education system.

Finally, the mappings also facilitate the work of other international and regional statistical organizations as they undertake comparative data collections, including household surveys and population censuses.

Below are the validated mappings based on ISCED 1997 and ISCED 2011, in spreadsheet format. For the UIS graphical representations of these data please visit the visualizations section of this website.

ISCED 2011 mappings of missing countries are currently being finalized. They will be posted on this page as they are validated by the UIS and relevant national authorities.

 

ISCED Revisions 1997, 2011
Country ISCED Revision Country ISCED Revision
Arab States     North America and Western Europe    
Algeria 1997 2011 Andorra   2011
Bahrain 1997 2011 Austria 1997 2011
Djibouti 1997 2011 Belgium (Flemish)   2011
Egypt 1997 2011 Belgium (Francophone)   2011
Iraq 1997 2011 Canada 1997 2011
Jordan 1997 2011 Cyprus 1997 2011
Kuwait 1997 2011 Denmark 1997 2011
Lebanon 1997 2011 Finland 1997 2011
Libya 1997 2011 France 1997 2011
Mauritania 1997 2011 Germany 1997 2011
Morocco 1997 2011 Gibraltar   2011
Oman 1997 2011 Greece 1997 2011
Palestine 1997 2011 Iceland 1997 2011
Qatar 1997 2011 Ireland 1997 2011
Saudi Arabia 1997 2011 Israel 1997 2011
Sudan 1997 2011 Italy 1997 2011
Syrian Arab Republic 1997 2011 Liechtenstein   2011
Tunisia 1997 2011 Luxembourg   2011
United Arab Emirates 1997 2011 Malta   2011
Yemen 1997 2011 Monaco   2011
      Netherlands 1997 2011
Central and Eastern Europe     Norway 1997 2011
Albania   2011 Portugal   2011
Belarus 1997 2011 San Marino   2011
Spain 1997 2011
Bulgaria 1997 2011 Switzerland 1997 2011
Croatia   2011 Sweden 1997 2011
Czechia 1997 2011 United Kingdom 1997 2011
Estonia 1997 2011 United States of America 1997 2011
Hungary 1997 2011
Latvia 1997 2011 South and West Asia    
Lithuania 1997 2011 Afghanistan   2011
Montenegro     Bangladesh 1997 2011
Poland 1997 2011 Bhutan 1997 2011
Rep. of Moldova 1997 2011 India 1997 2011
Rep. of North Macedonia  2011 Iran 1997  
Romania 1997 2011 Maldives 1997 2011
Russian Federation 1997 2011 Nepal 1997 2011
Serbia     Pakistan 1997 2011
Slovakia 1997 2011 Sri Lanka 1997 2011
Slovenia 1997 2011      
Turkey   2011 Sub-Saharan Africa    
Ukraine 1997 2011 Angola 1997 2011
      Benin 1997 2011
Central Asia     Botswana 1997 2011
Armenia 1997 2011 Burkina Faso 1997 2011
Azerbaijan 1997 2011 Burundi 1997 2011
Georgia 1997 2011 Cabo Verde 1997 2011
Kazakhstan 1997 2011 Cameroon 1997 2011
Kyrgyzstan 1997 2011 Central African Republic 1997 2011
Mongolia 1997   Chad 1997 2011
Tajikistan 1997 2011 Comoros 1997 2011
Turkmenistan 1997 2011 Congo 1997 2011
Uzbekistan 1997 2011 Côte d’Ivoire 1997 2011
      Democratic Rep. of the Congo 1997 2011
East Asia and the Pacific     Equatorial Guinea 1997 2011
Australia 1997 2011 Eritrea 1997 2011
Brunei Darussalam 1997 2011 Eswatini 1997 2011
Cambodia 1997 2011 Ethiopia 1997 2011
China 1997 2011 Gabon 1997 2011
China, SAR Hong Kong   2011 Gambia 1997 2011
China, SAR Macao 1997 2011 Ghana 1997 2011
Cook Islands 1997 2011 Guinea 1997 2011
DPR Korea     Guinea-Bissau 1997 2011
Fiji 1997   Kenya 1997 2011
Indonesia 1997 2011 Lesotho 1997 2011
Japan 1997 2011 Liberia 1997 2011
Kiribati   2011 Madagascar 1997 2011
Lao PDR 1997 2011 Malawi 1997 2011
Malaysia 1997 2011 Mali 1997 2011
Marshall Islands   2011 Mauritius 1997 2011
Micronesia     Mozambique 1997 2011
Myanmar     Namibia 1997 2011
Nauru     Niger 1997 2011
New Zealand 1997 2011 Nigeria 1997 2011
Niue   2011 Rwanda 1997 2011
Palau   2011 Sao Tome and Principe 1997 2011
Papua New Guinea     Senegal 1997 2011
Philippines 1997 2011 Seychelles   2011
Rep. of Korea 1997 2011 Sierra Leone 1997 2011
Samoa   2011 Somalia    
Singapore 1997 2011 South Africa 1997 2011
Solomon Islands   2011 South Sudan   2011
Thailand 1997 2011 Togo 1997 2011
Timor-Leste 1997 2011 Uganda 1997 2011
Tonga     Tanzania 1997 2011
Tokelau   2011 Zambia 1997 2011
Tuvalu   2011 Zimbabwe 1997 2011
Vanuatu   2011
Viet Nam   2011
Latin America and the Caribbean    
Anguilla 1997 2011
Antigua and Barbuda 1997 2011
Argentina 1997 2011
Aruba   2011
Bahamas   2011
Barbados 1997  
Belize 1997 2011
Bermuda   2011
Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 1997 2011
Brazil 1997 2011
British Virgin Islands 1997  
Cayman Islands 1997 2011
Chile 1997 2011
Colombia 1997 2011
Costa Rica   2011
Cuba 1997  
Curaçao   2011
Dominica 1997  
Dominican Rep. 1997 2011
Ecuador   2011
El Salvador   2011
Grenada 1997 2011
Guatemala 1997  
Guyana 1997 2011
Haiti 1997  
Honduras 1997 2011
Jamaica 1997 2011
Mexico 1997 2011
Montserrat 1997 2011
Nicaragua    
Panama 1997 2011
Paraguay 1997  
Peru 1997 2011
Puerto Rico    
Saint Kitts and Nevis    
Saint Lucia 1997 2011
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1997  
Suriname 1997 2011
Trinidad and Tobago    
Turks and Caicos   2011
Uruguay 1997  
Venezuela 1997 2011