The Country Similarity Index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries. The index is a statistically-based way to measure this. 20% of the index is based on demographics. 10% of a country’s demographic score (2% of the overall Country Similarity Index score) is allocated for education. The statistics included the mean years of schooling, as well as the percentage of people who have completed college and the percentage of people who are literate. The following is an explanation on how they were calculated:
Mean Years of Schooling (Male)
Of all countries in the world, men in Germany and Switzerland tend to be in school the longest. The average man in these countries has over 14 years of schooling. On the other end of the spectrum, Mali and Niger, two predominately Muslim countries in the Sahel region of Africa, have the lowest averages. In fact, the average man in these countries has less than two years of formal education in school.
The United Nations is the main source of the data:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/data#
Countries were grouped by the following average number of years of schooling:
1-3.5, 3.5-6, 6-8.5, 8.5-11, 11-13.5, 13.5-16
Mean Years of Schooling (Female)
The average number of years of formal education tends to be less for females. Women in Germany and Canada tend to be in school the longest. The average woman in these countries has just under 14 years of school. On the other end of the spectrum, Somalia and Niger, two predominately Muslim countries in Africa, have the lowest averages. They are the only two nations where the average woman has less than one year of formal education.
The United Nations is the main source of the data:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/data#
Countries were grouped by the following average number of years of schooling:
0.75-3.25, 3.25-5.75, 5.75-8.25, 8.25-10.75, 10.75-13.25, 13.25-15.75
College Education
The country with the highest percentage of people that have completed college is South Korea. Education is considered a top priority for South Korean families to improve their child’s economic status in South Korean society. In general, the least wealthy countries also tend to be the countries with the lowest percentage of people with a college education.
Our World in Data is the main source of the data:
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-with-completed-tertiary-education
Countries were categorized by the percentage of people over the age of 25 who have either completed or partially completed tertiary education:
0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, 24-30, 30-36
Literacy Rate
In general, the least wealthy countries tend to be the countries with the lowest percentage of people who are literate. Their people also tend to have the lowest amount of formal education. Just 27 percent of people in Chad can read, so it has the lowest literacy rate in the world. Mali, Somalia, and Burkina Faso also have relatively low percentages.
The World Population Review is the main source of the data:
http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/literacy-rate-by-country/
Countries were categorized by the percentage of people who can read:
0-32, 32-54, 54-72, 72-86, 86-96, 96-100