"The quality of an education system can never exceed the quality of its teachers," Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's Deputy Director of Education and Skills, told reporters at a press briefing in Stockholm on Tuesday.
"In higher-performing countries, teachers have higher salaries but also clear career possibilities."
The analysis, which marks the first time ever that Sweden has asked the OECD for extra help in evaluating its school system, also found that Sweden has relatively high costs per student, with only nine other OECD countries spending more money per pupil.
Overall, Sweden spends an average of $95,831 per student from age 6 to 15, a level higher than Finland, but below Denmark and Norway. However, the OECD report said that there is "no clear relationship between spending on education and performance" once a country spends more than $50,000 per student.
Read more