El Salvador vs Guatemala: Duration of compulsory education
El Salvador
15 years
in 2025
Guatemala
16 years
in 2025
El Salvador rank
3rd
Guatemala rank
2nd
Duration of compulsory education over time
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
How they compare
Guatemala currently reports 16 years against 15 years in El Salvador, a difference of 1 years.
That makes Guatemala's figure about 1.1 times El Salvador's.
Across all 28 years both countries report, Guatemala has been ahead every year.
El Salvador ranks 3rd and Guatemala ranks 2nd of 200 countries.
Guatemala has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | Guatemala | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 years | 16 years | 7 years | Guatemala |
| 2000s | 9 years | 16 years | 7 years | Guatemala |
| 2010s | 12.9 years | 16 years | 3.1 years | Guatemala |
| 2020s | 15 years | 16 years | 1 years | Guatemala |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher duration of compulsory education, El Salvador or Guatemala?
- Guatemala, at 16 years against 15 years in El Salvador as of 2025.
- What is the difference in duration of compulsory education between El Salvador and Guatemala?
- 1 years, with Guatemala ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and Guatemala?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do El Salvador and Guatemala rank globally for duration of compulsory education?
- El Salvador ranks 3rd and Guatemala ranks 2nd of 200 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release