Compulsory education, duration in Ghana
Ghana: Compulsory education, duration was 11 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
11 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
62nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
11 years
in 2007
All-time low
9 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Compulsory education, duration in Ghana, 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, compulsory education, duration in Ghana stood at 11 years. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Ghana peaked at 11 years in 2007 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.
Ghana ranks 62nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Compulsory education, duration in Ghana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 years | — |
| 1999 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 11 years | +22.2% |
| 2008 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 11 years | +0.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 11 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 11 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8 years, 1.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.6 years | 9 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 62 Antigua and Barbuda 11 years compare
- 62 Australia 11 years compare
- 62 Barbados 11 years compare
- 62 Belarus 11 years compare
- 62 Latvia 11 years compare
- 62 Lithuania 11 years compare
- 62 Malta 11 years compare
- 62 Monaco 11 years compare
- 62 Panama 11 years compare
- 62 Russia 11 years compare
- 62 Senegal 11 years compare
- 62 Seychelles 11 years compare
- 62 Slovakia 11 years compare
- 62 Sri Lanka 11 years compare
- 62 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 62 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 62 United Kingdom 11 years compare
- 62 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for Ghana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compulsory education, duration in Ghana?
- Compulsory education, duration in Ghana was 11 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 2007.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- How does Ghana rank for compulsory education, duration?
- Ghana ranks 62nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.