Compulsory education, duration (years) in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Compulsory education, duration (years) was 13 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Compulsory education, duration in Latin America & Caribbean, 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 13 years for compulsory education, duration in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 13 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 3rd out of 46 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Compulsory education, duration (years) in Latin America & Caribbean, 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 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2013 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 13 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.2 years | 9 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.7 years | 11 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, per capita 0.0956 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compulsory education, duration in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Compulsory education, duration in Latin America & Caribbean was 13 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 13 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for compulsory education, duration?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 3rd out of 46 groups with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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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About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.