China vs Sweden: Official entrance age to compulsory education
China
6 years
in 2025
Sweden
6 years
in 2025
China rank
21st
Sweden rank
21st
Official entrance age to compulsory education over time
- China
- Sweden
How they compare
China currently reports 6 years against 6 years in Sweden, a difference of 0 years.
Across all 28 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
China ranks 21st and Sweden ranks 21st of 205 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 0 years | — |
| 2000s | 6.4 years | 7 years | 0.6 years | Sweden |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6.9 years | 0.9 years | Sweden |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 0 years | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher official entrance age to compulsory education, China or Sweden?
- China, at 6 years against 6 years in Sweden as of 2025.
- What is the difference in official entrance age to compulsory education between China and Sweden?
- 0 years, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Sweden?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do China and Sweden rank globally for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- China ranks 21st and Sweden ranks 21st of 205 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The official age for entering compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.