Compulsory education, duration in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Compulsory education, duration was 11 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Compulsory education, duration in United Kingdom, 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 11 years for compulsory education, duration in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in United Kingdom peaked at 11 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1998.
That places United Kingdom 62nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 62 Antigua and Barbuda 11 years compare
- 62 Australia 11 years compare
- 62 Barbados 11 years compare
- 62 Belarus 11 years compare
- 62 Ghana 11 years compare
- 62 Latvia 11 years compare
- 62 Lithuania 11 years compare
- 62 Malta 11 years compare
- 62 Monaco 11 years compare
- 62 Panama 11 years compare
- 62 Russia 11 years compare
- 62 Senegal 11 years compare
- 62 Seychelles 11 years compare
- 62 Slovakia 11 years compare
- 62 Sri Lanka 11 years compare
- 62 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 62 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 62 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 281,128 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 102.1% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 102.2% (2023)
- Labor force, total 35.41 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 47.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compulsory education, duration in United Kingdom?
- Compulsory education, duration in United Kingdom was 11 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- How does United Kingdom rank for compulsory education, duration?
- United Kingdom ranks 62nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.