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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
151 Aurskog-Høland Akershus 18,458 79.7%
152 Gjerdrum Akershus 7,478 79.6%
153 Rana Nordland 25,844 79.6%
154 Sarpsborg Østfold 60,614 79.6%
155 Kinn Vestland 17,356 79.4%
156 Hvalersmall municipality Østfold 4,714 79.3%
157 Bøsmall municipality Nordland 2,609 79.2%
158 Leirfjordsmall municipality Nordland 2,392 79.2%
159 Ringsaker Innlandet 36,199 79.1%
160 Farsund Agder 9,949 79.0%
161 Siljansmall municipality Telemark 2,377 78.9%
162 Sør-Varanger Finnmark 9,947 78.8%
163 Tynset Innlandet 5,762 78.8%
164 Gjerstadsmall municipality Agder 2,502 78.7%
165 Malvik Trøndelag 14,961 78.7%
166 Strand Rogaland 13,959 78.6%
167 Sørreisasmall municipality Troms 3,528 78.6%
168 Sandesmall municipality Møre og Romsdal 2,437 78.5%
169 Sandefjord Vestfold 67,062 78.5%
170 Sel Innlandet 5,469 78.5%
171 Alver Vestland 30,285 78.5%
172 Froland Agder 6,299 78.4%
173 Stjørdal Trøndelag 25,108 78.4%
174 Indre Østfold Østfold 47,943 78.3%
175 Ringerike Buskerud 31,942 78.2%
176 Arendal Agder 46,603 78.2%
177 Øygarden Vestland 40,641 77.9%
178 Trysil Innlandet 6,474 77.9%
179 Drammen Buskerud 106,013 77.8%
180 Meløy Nordland 6,074 77.8%
181 Rakkestad Østfold 8,583 77.7%
182 Horten Vestfold 28,173 77.7%
183 Grimstad Agder 25,569 77.5%
184 Vestby Akershus 20,167 77.5%
185 Ål Buskerud 5,106 77.5%
186 Øyer Innlandet 5,130 77.4%
187 Nes Akershus 24,948 77.4%
188 Lomsmall municipality Innlandet 2,239 77.3%
189 Hemsedalsmall municipality Buskerud 2,707 77.2%
190 Jevnaker Akershus 7,040 77.2%
191 Løten Innlandet 7,951 77.1%
192 Karasjoksmall municipality Finnmark 2,524 77.1%
193 Hitra Trøndelag 5,568 77.1%
194 Skjervøysmall municipality Troms 2,802 77.0%
195 Averøy Møre og Romsdal 6,007 76.9%
196 Nannestad Akershus 16,662 76.9%
197 Skiptvetsmall municipality Østfold 3,940 76.8%
198 Dovresmall municipality Innlandet 2,523 76.8%
199 Drangedalsmall municipality Telemark 4,056 76.6%
200 Kvæfjordsmall municipality Troms 2,901 76.4%

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 …