Compulsory education, duration in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Compulsory education, duration was 12 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Compulsory education, duration in United Arab Emirates, 1999–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, compulsory education, duration in United Arab Emirates stood at 12 years. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in United Arab Emirates peaked at 12 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1999.
United Arab Emirates ranks 33rd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.8 years | 6 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 years | 12 years | 12 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 33 Armenia 12 years compare
- 33 Bahamas 12 years compare
- 33 British Virgin Islands 12 years compare
- 33 Bulgaria 12 years compare
- 33 Cayman Islands 12 years compare
- 33 Chile 12 years compare
- 33 Colombia 12 years compare
- 33 Dominica 12 years compare
- 33 Egypt 12 years compare
- 33 Finland 12 years compare
- 33 Grenada 12 years compare
- 33 Honduras 12 years compare
- 33 Italy 12 years compare
- 33 Kenya 12 years compare
- 33 North Korea 12 years compare
- 33 Luxembourg 12 years compare
- 33 Maldives 12 years compare
- 33 Mauritius 12 years compare
- 33 Mongolia 12 years compare
- 33 Pakistan 12 years compare
- 33 Palau 12 years compare
- 33 Portugal 12 years compare
- 33 Qatar 12 years compare
- 33 Saint Kitts and Nevis 12 years compare
- 33 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12 years compare
- 33 Turkey 12 years compare
- 33 Turkmenistan 12 years compare
- 33 United States 12 years compare
More education data for United Arab Emirates
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 82.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.0% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 108.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 39,735 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 107.5% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 108.6% (2024)
- Labor force, total 7.60 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 22.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compulsory education, duration in United Arab Emirates?
- Compulsory education, duration in United Arab Emirates was 12 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 12 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1999.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for compulsory education, duration?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 33rd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.