Korea, Democratic People's Republic of vs United States of America: Duration of compulsory education
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
12 years
in 2025
United States of America
12 years
in 2025
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank
33rd
United States of America rank
33rd
Duration of compulsory education over time
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- United States of America
How they compare
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of currently reports 12 years against 12 years in United States of America, a difference of 0 years.
Across all 28 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 33rd and United States of America ranks 33rd of 205 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 years | 12 years | 1 years | United States of America |
| 2000s | 11 years | 12 years | 1 years | United States of America |
| 2010s | 11.6 years | 12 years | 0.4 years | United States of America |
| 2020s | 12 years | 12 years | 0 years | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher duration of compulsory education, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of or United States of America?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, at 12 years against 12 years in United States of America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in duration of compulsory education between Korea, Democratic People's Republic of and United States of America?
- 0 years, with Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of and United States of America?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do Korea, Democratic People's Republic of and United States of America rank globally for duration of compulsory education?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 33rd and United States of America ranks 33rd of 205 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The number of years of compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.