These are the 11 most educated countries in the world

Score: 5.9

New Zealand constantly ranks among the top education systems in the world. The country's education department is innovative: in September, the government outlined plans to introduce online education courses, whereby students are not required to attend school on certain days of the week.

Score: 5.9

Australia is a well-educated country, and has a particularly high proportion of tertiary-educated adults. 43% of adults have trained at an institution after leaving school — that's behind only Canada, Japan, Israel, Korea, the US, and the UK.

Score: 5.9

A large proportion of adults in America have a university education — 43%. That is the fifth highest proportion in the OECD.*

*The OECD is the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental group of 34 developed countries.

Score: 5.9

Norway has high levels of taxation and invests heavily in education. It devotes an annual expenditure of approximately £11,000 ($14,000) per pupil from primary to tertiary education — the third highest figure in the OECD.

Score: 5.9

Denmark is the OECD country that spent the largest share of its wealth on education, with a total expenditure on educational institutions of 7.9% of its GDP. It is a major priority in the country: it was one of the few countries where education expenditure actually grew during the financial crash of 2008—2010.

Score: 6.0

In Belgium, higher education pays: unemployment rates for those with a tetiary education is just 3%. Unemployment rates are lower than the European average for every other level of education, too.

Teaching is a well-paid profession in the country: teachers salaries are on average £57,000 ($74,000) adjusted for purchasing power. The OECD average is £39,000 ($52,000).

Score: 6.0

A large majority of Switzerland's population has attained a full secondary education: 86% of 25-64 year olds. The country spends a lot on it: an average of £12,500 ($16,000) per student per year, compared to the EU average of £7,500 ($9,500).

Score: 6.1

The Dutch rank highly in many fields of education. A third of Dutch 25—64 year olds hold a university degree, which is significantly higher than the OECD average of 24%.

Score: 6.2

Finland's education system is widely-acclaimed, especially since a 2010 documentary, "Waiting for Superman," compared it favourably with the USA's. Teachers are selected from the top 10 percent of the country's graduates, and are required to earn a master's degree in education.

Score: 6.3

Singapore's education system is the most highly-regarded in the world, but it is also famously known as a "pressure cooker" for its intensity and strictness. Global comparisons of maths and science ability are often topped by Singapore's school system.