Lao People's Democratic Republic vs South Africa: Duration of compulsory education
Lao People's Democratic Republic
9 years
in 2025
South Africa
9 years
in 2025
Lao People's Democratic Republic rank
120th
South Africa rank
120th
Duration of compulsory education over time
- Lao People's Democratic Republic
- South Africa
How they compare
Lao People's Democratic Republic currently reports 9 years against 9 years in South Africa, a difference of 0 years.
Across all 28 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 120th and South Africa ranks 120th of 205 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lao People's Democratic Republic | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 years | 9 years | 4 years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 5 years | 9 years | 4 years | South Africa |
| 2010s | 6.6 years | 9 years | 2.4 years | South Africa |
| 2020s | 9 years | 9 years | 0 years | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher duration of compulsory education, Lao People's Democratic Republic or South Africa?
- Lao People's Democratic Republic, at 9 years against 9 years in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in duration of compulsory education between Lao People's Democratic Republic and South Africa?
- 0 years, with Lao People's Democratic Republic ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lao People's Democratic Republic and South Africa?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do Lao People's Democratic Republic and South Africa rank globally for duration of compulsory education?
- Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 120th and South Africa ranks 120th 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.