What is primary education, duration in World?

Primary education, duration in World was 6 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in World?

The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.

What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in World?

The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.

Is primary education, duration rising or falling in World?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Where does this World data come from?

The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Primary education, duration in World

Name: Primary education, duration in World
Creator: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

World: Primary education, duration was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)

6 years

Change on year

unchanged

All-time high

6 years

in 1970

All-time low

6 years

in 1970

Years of data

1970–2025

Primary education, duration in World, 1970–2025

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for primary education, duration in World is 6 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, duration in World peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1970.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	6 years	6 years	6 years	10
1980s	6 years	6 years	6 years	10
1990s	6 years	6 years	6 years	10
2000s	6 years	6 years	6 years	10
2010s	6 years	6 years	6 years	10
2020s	6 years	6 years	6 years	6

More education data for World

Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2024)
Primary education, teachers 34.10 million (2024)
School enrollment, primary, female 101.5% (2024)
School enrollment, primary, male 102.8% (2024)
Labor force, female 40.2% (2025)
Labor force, total 3.74 billion (2025)
School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9825 GPI (2020)
School enrollment, secondary 77.3% (2024)

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, duration in World?: Primary education, duration in World was 6 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in World?: The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in World?: The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
Is primary education, duration rising or falling in World?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this World data come from?: The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Primary education, duration (years)
Unit: years
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 256 places, 14,114 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.