Compulsory education, duration (years) by country
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.
Countries reporting
197
Highest
17 years
Venezuela
Lowest
0 years
New Caledonia
Median
10 years
Years covered
51
1975–2025
Data points
6,506
What the numbers show
Compulsory education, duration (years) is currently reported for 197 countries. The highest value is 17 years in Venezuela; the lowest is 0 years in New Caledonia.
The median across all reporting countries is 10 years, and the mean is 10.04 years.
Over the past decade 23 countries rose and 2 fell. The largest increase was in Laos (up 80.0%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 10.0%).
Compulsory education, duration: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venezuela | 17 years | 2025 | up 21.4% | rising |
| 2 | Guatemala | 16 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Dominican Republic | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Ecuador | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Israel | 15 years | 2025 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 3 | El Salvador | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Tonga | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Argentina | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Bolivia | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Brazil | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Curacao | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Mexico | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Nauru | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Peru | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Uruguay | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Aruba | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Austria | 13 years | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 17 | Belgium | 13 years | 2025 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 17 | Bermuda | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Costa Rica | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Germany | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | France | 13 years | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 17 | Gibraltar | 13 years | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 17 | Hungary | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Marshall Islands | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | North Macedonia | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Netherlands | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Philippines | 13 years | 2025 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 17 | Puerto Rico | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 17 | Paraguay | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | United Arab Emirates | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Armenia | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Bulgaria | 12 years | 2025 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 33 | Bahamas | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Chile | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Colombia | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Cayman Islands | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Dominica | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Egypt | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Finland | 12 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 33 | Grenada | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Honduras | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Italy | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Kenya | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Luxembourg | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Maldives | 12 years | 2025 | up 71.4% | rising |
| 33 | Mongolia | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Mauritius | 12 years | 2025 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 33 | Pakistan | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Palau | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | North Korea | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Portugal | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Qatar | 12 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 33 | Turkmenistan | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Turkey | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | United States | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | British Virgin Islands | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Antigua and Barbuda | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Australia | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Belarus | 11 years | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 62 | Barbados | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Switzerland | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | United Kingdom | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Ghana | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Sri Lanka | 11 years | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 62 | Lithuania | 11 years | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 62 | Latvia | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Monaco | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Malta | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Panama | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 62 | Russia | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Senegal | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Slovakia | 11 years | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 62 | Seychelles | 11 years | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 62 | Ukraine | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 62 | Uzbekistan | 11 years | 2025 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 81 | Angola | 10 years | 2025 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 81 | Andorra | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Burkina Faso | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Central African Republic | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Canada | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Cote d'Ivoire | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Congo | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Cape Verde | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Cyprus | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Czechia | 10 years | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 81 | Djibouti | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Denmark | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Algeria | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Spain | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Gabon | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Greece | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Ireland | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Iceland | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Jordan | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Kyrgyzstan | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Lebanon | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Saint Lucia | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Macao | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Moldova | 10 years | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 81 | Norway | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | New Zealand | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Oman | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Palestine | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Romania | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | San Marino | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Sweden | 10 years | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 81 | Chad | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 81 | Togo | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 81 | Vietnam | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Afghanistan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Albania | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Azerbaijan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Bahrain | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Brunei | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | China | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Cuba | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Estonia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Georgia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Gambia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Guinea-Bissau | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Hong Kong | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Indonesia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Iran | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Japan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Kazakhstan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Kiribati | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | South Korea | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Kuwait | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Laos | 9 years | 2025 | up 80.0% | rising |
| 115 | Libya | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Liechtenstein | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Morocco | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Mali | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Montenegro | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Mauritania | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Nigeria | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Nepal | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Poland | 9 years | 2025 | down 10.0% | flat |
| 115 | Saudi Arabia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Sierra Leone | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Slovenia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Syria | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Thailand | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Tajikistan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | East Timor | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 115 | Tunisia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | Tuvalu | 9 years | 2025 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 115 | Yemen | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 115 | South Africa | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Belize | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Eritrea | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Ethiopia | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Micronesia (country) | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Croatia | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | India | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Malawi | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Sudan | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 156 | Somalia | 8 years | 2025 | — | flat |
| 156 | Serbia | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | South Sudan | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 156 | Samoa | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 168 | Lesotho | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 168 | Namibia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 168 | Nicaragua | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 168 | Eswatini | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 168 | Trinidad and Tobago | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 168 | Tanzania | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 168 | Uganda | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 168 | Zambia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 168 | Zimbabwe | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Benin | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Cameroon | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Comoros | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Guinea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Equatorial Guinea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 177 | Guyana | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Haiti | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Iraq | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Jamaica | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Liberia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Malaysia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Rwanda | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Singapore | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Sao Tome and Principe | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 177 | Suriname | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 193 | Bangladesh | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 193 | Madagascar | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 193 | Myanmar | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 196 | Guam | 0 years | 2025 | — | flat |
| 196 | New Caledonia | 0 years | 2025 | — | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 14 years
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 14 years
- Latin America & Caribbean 13 years
- Europe & Central Asia 11 years
- Euro area 11 years
- European Union 11 years
- High income 11 years
- North America 11 years
- OECD members 11 years
- Post-demographic dividend 11 years
- Central Europe and the Baltics 10 years
- Early-demographic dividend 10 years
About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.