The regional level
- Percentage of population 25-64 years with higher education 2005
Source: Ørestat. Map: Region Skåne
Almost a third of the population between the ages of 25 and 64 in the Öresund region has a higher education (at least two years post-upper secondary education) which is above the national average for either Denmark or Sweden.
Within the Öresund Region there are great differences regarding the education level of the population. The Capital Region of Denmark has the highest percentage of people with higher education, followed by Region Skåne, while Region Sealand has the lowest percentage of higher-educated people. Region Skåne has the highest percentage where upper secondary is the highest education level and Region Sealand has the highest percentage where compulsory is the highest education level. The demographic structure offers an important explanation to these differences.
The large internal differences are also reflected on the municipal level. In some municipalities, more than 40 percent of the population (aged 25-64) has a higher education. This applies to e.g. Frederiksberg, Gentofte, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Rudersdal, Lomma and Lund.
In other municipalities such as Ishøj, Tårnby, Lolland, Odsherred, Bjuv and Åstorp, less than 20 percent of the population has higher education.
Increase of persons with higher education
Between 1998 and 2005 persons in age 25-64 with higher education has increased in the Öresund Region by over 6 percentage points, from 23.4 to 30.8 percent. The greatest increase occurred in Region Skåne (7.7 percentage points) followed by the Capital Region of Denmark (7.5 percentage points), and both these increases were above the national averages of either country. The level is generally lower in Region Sealand, where the percentage has increased by 5.7 percentage points, from 17.8 to 23.5 percent.
- Number of students at universities and institutes of higher learning 1998-2004 (ISCED 5+6)
Source: Ørestat
The tendency for persons with higher education to concentrate in certain areas is a well known phenomenon of many major urban areas, where various institutions of higher learning as well as knowledge-intensive companies are localised. This combination attracts the highly educated. There has been a generally positive development for the number of students in the Öresund Region between 1998 and 2005, as indicated in the table below.
- Population (aged 25-64) by educational level 2005
Source: Ørestat
- Percentage of population (aged 25-64) with higher education 1998-2005
Source: Ørestat
Strategies and challenges
As expressed in the Lisbon Strategy, the EU has defined goals for raising the education level of the population. Both Denmark and Sweden have the goal that half of the adult population should have a higher education. Region Skåne is up to the national average regarding the number of persons that have started or finished a higher education by the age of 26.
In Denmark the Globalisation Council’s work4 resulted in defining goals for all young people to complete upper secondary or vocational training and that half of them will have higher educations. The Danish IT centre for education and research, UNI-C, has developed a profile model that describes how education will look for young people of different “cohorts”. According to this model, both the Region Sealand and the Capital Region of Denmark face a challenge in that only 78.8 percent are expected to complete an upper secondary education or vocational training, which is below the national average of 81.2 percent.
More persons studying on the other side of Öresund
The number of students commuting over Öresund has increased significantly since the turn of the century. This commuter group primarily travels by train, as only few students can afford a car. There were 600 students in November of 2002 who commuted regularly over Öresund by train. In 2005, this group grew to 900 commuters, which was an increase of 50 percent in three years. Observing the development of Danes who study in Malmö and Lund as well as Swedes who study on Zealand, the results are clear. The number of Danes registered as students has increased from a few tens of students in 1995 to over 300 by 2004. The group of Swedish students has increased from 800 to more than 1 000 during the last four years.
(4)Read more at: www.globalisering.dk There is also considerable political discussion in Sweden about how to ensure that young people leave compulsory school and upper secondary school with good grades in the core subjects (Swedish, English and mathematics).
