Germany vs Ireland: Official entrance age to compulsory education
Germany
6 years
in 2025
Ireland
6 years
in 2025
Germany rank
21st
Ireland rank
21st
Official entrance age to compulsory education over time
- Germany
- Ireland
How they compare
Germany currently reports 6 years against 6 years in Ireland, a difference of 0 years.
Across all 28 years both countries report, Ireland has been ahead every year.
Germany ranks 21st and Ireland ranks 21st of 205 countries.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 0 years | — |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 0 years | — |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 0 years | — |
| 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, Germany or Ireland?
- Germany, at 6 years against 6 years in Ireland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in official entrance age to compulsory education between Germany and Ireland?
- 0 years, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Ireland?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2025.
- How do Germany and Ireland rank globally for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Germany ranks 21st and Ireland 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.