Folk High School statistics 2023
Participation in folk high school most common in the northern parts of Sweden
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2024-03-26 8.00
The proportion of residents in Norrbotten and Västerbotten who studied at a folk high school within their own county is more than three times higher compered to the average of Sweden. The counties of Uppsala, Halland and Kronoberg have the lowest participation rate among residents.
Within Folk high school there are three different types of searchable courses: general courses, special courses and short courses. Almost one percent of Sweden's population has taken a course in 2023. The proportion is not evenly distributed across the country and it is also common to study at a school in a different county than the one in which you live.
In the counties of Västerbotten and Norrbotten there are three times more common to study within the county
In the northernmost counties, it is almost two percent of the population who attended folk high school within the county, while it is only 0.1–0.2 percent in the counties of Uppland, Halland and Kronoberg, which are the counties with the lowest percentage of participation within Sweden. The average for Sweden is 0.5 percent.
- The percentage is of course affected by several factors, including the range of other forms of education such as college and universities, but it is still clear that folk high school has an important function when it comes to access to education throughout the country, says Samuel Snickars, administrator at Statistics Sweden.
Large difference regionally between the number of folk high schools
The most folk high schools are located in the counties of Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Skåne, but in those counties there are also large number of residents.
If we compare the number of folk high schools by inhabitant, we get a different picture. The more northerly counties have more folk high schools per inhabitant than the counties with metropolitan regions. The counties of Norrbotten, Västerbotten and also Jämtland have relatively many schools per inhabitant. The counties Blekinge, Dalarnas and Jönköping also have many schools. The counties of Halland and Uppsala have the lowest number of folk high schools and much lower than Sweden on average.
| County | Number of folk high schools |
Number om folk high schools per 100 000 inhabitants |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | 29 | 1.2 |
| Uppsala | 2 | 0.5 |
| Södermanland | 4 | 1.3 |
| Östergötland | 6 | 1.3 |
| Jönköping | 9 | 2.4 |
| Kronoberg | 3 | 1.5 |
| Kalmar | 5 | 2.0 |
| Gotland | 1 | 1.6 |
| Blekinge | 4 | 2.5 |
| Skåne | 19 | 1.3 |
| Halland | 2 | 0.6 |
| Västra Götaland | 23 | 1.3 |
| Värmland | 6 | 2.1 |
| Örebro | 6 | 1.9 |
| Västmanland | 3 | 1.1 |
| Dalarna | 7 | 2.4 |
| Gävleborg | 5 | 1.8 |
| Västernorrland | 5 | 2.1 |
| Jämtland | 3 | 2.3 |
| Västerbotten | 7 | 2.5 |
| Norrbotten | 7 | 2.8 |
| Sweden | 156 | 1.5 |
Although there are more schools per inhabitant in the northern part of the country, the distances to the schools can impair accessibility. Many folk high schools therefore offer boarding accommodation to counteract this accessibility.
Definitions and explanations
Definition of Participants
A person who is registered on at least one course that is open to the public in 2023 is counted as a participant.
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.