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Most and fewest completing upper secondary

The share of pupils who completed upper secondary education within five or six years.

Vindafjord has the highest completion share of Norway's municipalities at 94.2% (2025). The lowest is Vega at 60.5%. Source: FHI, indicator 623, processed by Morning Analytics 3 November 2026.

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94.2%Highest: Vindafjord
80.5%Median of the municipalities
60.5%Lowest: Vega

The picture in figures

The bars show the ten highest and the ten lowest of 269 municipalities. The dashed line is the median of all municipalities.

Highest 10
VindafjordVindafjord94.2%HoleHole94.2%SuldalSuldal92.3%FrognFrogn92.2%RørosRøros91.4%GiskeGiske90.8%BærumBærum89.6%LusterLuster89.2%AukraAukra89.1%HeimHeim89.0%
Lowest 10
VegaVega60.5%FlakstadFlakstad60.8%KåfjordKåfjord61.9%KautokeinoKautokeino63.5%ÅmliÅmli63.5%HamarøyHamarøy63.7%IbestadIbestad63.8%RingebuRingebu64.4%TanaTana64.8%GildeskålGildeskål64.9%
How 269 municipalities spread
60.5% – 63.3%: 363.3% – 66.1%: 1066.1% – 68.9%: 568.9% – 71.7%: 1471.7% – 74.5%: 1374.5% – 77.3%: 3677.3% – 80.1%: 4380.1% – 82.9%: 6382.9% – 85.7%: 4385.7% – 88.6%: 2688.6% – 91.4%: 891.4% – 94.2%: 560.5%94.2%completion share →

Each bar is the number of municipalities in a range of values. The dashed line is the median. Hover over a bar to see the range.

Analysis: why are some at the top and others at the bottom?

We compared completion share with every other municipal figure we have, from Statistics Norway, NIPH and the Brønnøysund Register Centre. Below are the figures that go most closely together with completion share across the country, and what marks the municipalities at the top and bottom on those figures.

The pattern across the country

  • Municipalities that rank high on «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» most often rank low on completion share (strong association, rank correlation −0.52 across 269 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 09429).
  • Municipalities that rank high on «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» most often also rank high on completion share (moderate association, rank correlation 0.39 across 269 municipalities; NIPH indicator 508).
  • Municipalities that rank high on «Disability benefit recipients aged 20–66 (standardised)» most often rank low on completion share (moderate association, rank correlation −0.39 across 269 municipalities; NIPH indicator 787).
  • Municipalities that rank high on «Employed, share of age 20–66» most often also rank high on completion share (moderate association, rank correlation 0.38 across 269 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 11618).

The highest and the lowest

  • No. 1 Vindafjord (94.2%) Fits the pattern: «Employed, share of age 20–66» 81.0% (no. 27 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618); «Disability benefit recipients aged 20–66 (standardised)» 8.4% (no. 298 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 787); «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» 83.3 (no. 63 of 348 from the top; NIPH indicator 508). Most distinctive industry: jordbruk og tjenester tilknyttet jordbruk, jakt og viltstell, 10% of the jobs, 7.6 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
  • No. 2 Hole (94.2%) Fits the pattern: «Disability benefit recipients aged 20–66 (standardised)» 6.7% (no. 349 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 787); «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 19.6% (no. 337 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429). Most distinctive industry: overnattingsvirksomhet, 5% of the jobs, 4.8 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
  • No. 3 Suldal (92.3%) Fits the pattern: «Disability benefit recipients aged 20–66 (standardised)» 8.2% (no. 306 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 787); «Employed, share of age 20–66» 79.5% (no. 71 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618); «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 22.1% (no. 276 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429). Most distinctive industry: bryting og bergverksdrift ellers, 14% of the jobs, 117.6 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
  • No. 269 Vega (60.5%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Employed, share of age 20–66» 71.6% (no. 318 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618); «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 30.7% (no. 45 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Disability benefit recipients aged 20–66 (standardised)» 13.8% (no. 60 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 787). Most distinctive industry: fiske, fangst og akvakultur, 10% of the jobs, 12.2 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
  • No. 268 Flakstad (60.8%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 35.7% (no. 14 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Employed, share of age 20–66» 70.9% (no. 328 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11618). Most distinctive industry: fiske, fangst og akvakultur, 20% of the jobs, 25.1 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
  • No. 267 Kåfjord (61.9%, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Life expectancy at birth (15-year period)» 80.1 (no. 339 of 348 from the top; NIPH indicator 508); «Share with lower secondary as highest education (16 and over)» 34.9% (no. 15 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 09429); «Disability benefit recipients aged 20–66 (standardised)» 15.1% (no. 27 of 357 from the top; NIPH indicator 787). Most distinctive industry: jordbruk og tjenester tilknyttet jordbruk, jakt og viltstell, 8% of the jobs, 6.5 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).

The analysis describes what goes together, not what causes what. Two figures can follow each other because both depend on something else, such as size, location or industry. The figures are from the latest year available for each source, so the years can differ. Rank correlation runs from −1 to 1; values near 1 mean the municipalities lie in roughly the same order on both measures.

What explains the placing?

  • 1. Vindafjord 94.2% 17% above the median of the municipalities.
  • 2. Hole 94.2% 17% above the median of the municipalities.
  • 3. Suldal 92.3% Small municipality (3,891 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 15% above the median of the municipalities.
  • 267. Kåfjord 61.9% Small municipality (1,939 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 23% below the median of the municipalities.
  • 268. Flakstad 60.8% Small municipality (1,235 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 24% below the median of the municipalities.
  • 269. Vega 60.5% Small municipality (1,202 inhabitants): one company or a few people can move the figure a lot. 25% below the median of the municipalities.
#Municipality County Inhabitants completion share
101 Tvedestrand Agder 6,430 82.4%
102 Hå Rogaland 20,087 82.4%
103 Vinjesmall municipality Telemark 3,829 82.4%
104 Bømlo Vestland 12,531 82.3%
105 Gjøvik Innlandet 31,350 82.3%
106 Holmestrand Vestfold 27,086 82.3%
107 Lindesnes Agder 23,702 82.2%
108 Gloppen Vestland 5,976 82.1%
109 Bardusmall municipality Troms 4,004 82.0%
110 Kristiansand Agder 119,287 82.0%
111 Klepp Rogaland 21,444 82.0%
112 Indre Fosen Trøndelag 10,006 81.9%
113 Sør-Odal Innlandet 8,165 81.8%
114 Haugesund Rogaland 38,663 81.4%
115 Tromsø Troms 79,943 81.4%
116 Kristiansund Møre og Romsdal 24,479 81.4%
117 Kvinnherad Vestland 13,236 81.4%
118 Nome Telemark 6,529 81.3%
119 Bjørnafjorden Vestland 26,753 81.2%
120 Lillehammer Innlandet 29,669 81.2%
121 Sykkylven Møre og Romsdal 7,626 81.2%
122 Notodden Telemark 13,389 81.1%
123 Gran Innlandet 13,689 81.0%
124 Grongsmall municipality Trøndelag 2,292 80.9%
125 Larvik Vestfold 49,022 80.9%
126 Brønnøy Nordland 7,841 80.9%
127 Skaun Trøndelag 8,574 80.9%
128 Karmøy Rogaland 43,990 80.8%
129 Alvdalsmall municipality Innlandet 2,492 80.8%
130 Ås Akershus 22,725 80.8%
131 Birkenes Agder 5,447 80.7%
132 Namsos Trøndelag 15,112 80.7%
133 Risør Agder 6,683 80.6%
134 Oppdal Trøndelag 7,421 80.6%
135 Levanger Trøndelag 20,807 80.5%
136 Åfjordsmall municipality Trøndelag 4,340 80.5%
137 Golsmall municipality Buskerud 4,902 80.4%
138 Nord-Fron Innlandet 5,493 80.4%
139 Tinn Telemark 5,515 80.3%
140 Flekkefjord Agder 9,373 80.3%
141 Nærøysund Trøndelag 9,920 80.3%
142 Porsgrunn Telemark 37,435 80.2%
143 Overhallasmall municipality Trøndelag 3,944 80.2%
144 Halden Østfold 32,082 80.2%
145 Lunner Akershus 9,463 80.1%
146 Narvik Nordland 21,647 80.1%
147 Hadsel Nordland 8,374 80.0%
148 Hemnessmall municipality Nordland 4,486 79.9%
149 Søndre Land Innlandet 5,603 79.8%
150 Steinkjer Trøndelag 24,007 79.7%

Not available for 88 municipalities (hidden by the source, too small or not measured): Aremark, Askvoll, Aurland, Beiarn, Berlevåg, Bindal, Bokn, Bygland, Bykle, Båtsfjord, Dyrøy, Dønna …