Statizoid

Compulsory education, duration (years) in North Korea

North Korea: Compulsory education, duration (years) was 12 years in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
12 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 197 countries
All-time high
12 years
in 2014
All-time low
11 years
in 1975
Years of data
51
1975–2025

Compulsory education, duration in North Korea, 1975–2025

02.557.51012.5197520002025

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

North Korea recorded 12 years for compulsory education, duration in 2025. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in North Korea peaked at 12 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1975.

North Korea ranks 33rd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

Compulsory education, duration (years) in North Korea, year by year

Year years Change
1975 11 years —
1976 11 years +0.0%
1977 11 years +0.0%
1978 11 years +0.0%
1979 11 years +0.0%
1980 11 years +0.0%
1981 11 years +0.0%
1982 11 years +0.0%
1983 11 years +0.0%
1984 11 years +0.0%
1985 11 years +0.0%
1986 11 years +0.0%
1987 11 years +0.0%
1988 11 years +0.0%
1989 11 years +0.0%
1990 11 years +0.0%
1991 11 years +0.0%
1992 11 years +0.0%
1993 11 years +0.0%
1994 11 years +0.0%
1995 11 years +0.0%
1996 11 years +0.0%
1997 11 years +0.0%
1998 11 years +0.0%
1999 11 years +0.0%
2000 11 years +0.0%
2001 11 years +0.0%
2002 11 years +0.0%
2003 11 years +0.0%
2004 11 years +0.0%
2005 11 years +0.0%
2006 11 years +0.0%
2007 11 years +0.0%
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 12 years +9.1%
2015 12 years +0.0%
2016 12 years +0.0%
2017 12 years +0.0%
2018 12 years +0.0%
2019 12 years +0.0%
2020 12 years +0.0%
2021 12 years +0.0%
2022 12 years +0.0%
2023 12 years +0.0%
2024 12 years +0.0%
2025 12 years +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 11 years 11 years 11 years 5
1980s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
1990s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
2000s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
2010s 11.6 years 11 years 12 years 10
2020s 12 years 12 years 12 years 6

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 33 Armenia 12 years compare
  2. 33 Bahamas 12 years compare
  3. 33 British Virgin Islands 12 years compare
  4. 33 Bulgaria 12 years compare
  5. 33 Cayman Islands 12 years compare
  6. 33 Chile 12 years compare
  7. 33 Colombia 12 years compare
  8. 33 Dominica 12 years compare
  9. 33 Egypt 12 years compare
  10. 33 Finland 12 years compare
  11. 33 Grenada 12 years compare
  12. 33 Honduras 12 years compare
  13. 33 Italy 12 years compare
  14. 33 Kenya 12 years compare
  15. 33 Luxembourg 12 years compare
  16. 33 Maldives 12 years compare
  17. 33 Mauritius 12 years compare
  18. 33 Mongolia 12 years compare
  19. 33 Pakistan 12 years compare
  20. 33 Palau 12 years compare
  21. 33 Portugal 12 years compare
  22. 33 Qatar 12 years compare
  23. 33 Saint Kitts and Nevis 12 years compare
  24. 33 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12 years compare
  25. 33 Turkey 12 years compare
  26. 33 Turkmenistan 12 years compare
  27. 33 United Arab Emirates 12 years compare
  28. 33 United States 12 years compare

See the full ranking of 243 places →

More education data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is compulsory education, duration in North Korea?
Compulsory education, duration in North Korea was 12 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 12 years in 2014.
What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 11 years in 1975.
How does North Korea rank for compulsory education, duration?
North Korea ranks 33rd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North Korea 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.

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Compulsory education, duration in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/compulsory-education-duration-years/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Compulsory education, duration (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
243 places, 6,506 data points, 1975–2025
Last refreshed

Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.