Compulsory education, duration in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Compulsory education, duration was 9.5 years in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
9.5 years
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
20th
of 46 groups
All-time high
9.5 years
in 2021
All-time low
9 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025

Compulsory education, duration in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1998–2025

02468101998201120251998: 9 years1999: 9 years2000: 9 years2001: 9 years2002: 9 years2003: 9 years2004: 9 years2005: 9 years2006: 9 years2007: 9 years2008: 9 years2009: 9 years2010: 9 years2011: 9 years2012: 9 years2013: 9 years2014: 9 years2015: 9 years2016: 9 years2017: 9 years2018: 9 years2019: 9 years2020: 9 years2021: 9.5 years2022: 9.5 years2023: 9.5 years2024: 9.5 years2025: 9.5 years

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for compulsory education, duration in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 9.5 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 9.5 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 20th of 46 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Compulsory education, duration in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Compulsory education, duration (years) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1998 to 2025.
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 9 years +0.0%
2009 9 years +0.0%
2010 9 years +0.0%
2011 9 years +0.0%
2012 9 years +0.0%
2013 9 years +0.0%
2014 9 years +0.0%
2015 9 years +0.0%
2016 9 years +0.0%
2017 9 years +0.0%
2018 9 years +0.0%
2019 9 years +0.0%
2020 9 years +0.0%
2021 9.5 years +5.6%
2022 9.5 years +0.0%
2023 9.5 years +0.0%
2024 9.5 years +0.0%
2025 9.5 years +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9 years 9 years 9 years 2
2000s 9 years 9 years 9 years 10
2010s 9 years 9 years 9 years 10
2020s 9.42 years 9 years 9.5 years 6

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

  1. 17 Aruba 13 years compare
  2. 17 Austria 13 years compare
  3. 17 Belgium 13 years compare
  4. 17 Bermuda 13 years compare
  5. 17 Costa Rica 13 years compare
  6. 17 France 13 years compare
  7. 17 Germany 13 years compare
  8. 17 Gibraltar 13 years compare
  9. 17 Hungary 13 years compare
  10. 17 Marshall Islands 13 years compare
  11. 17 Netherlands 13 years compare
  12. 17 North Macedonia 13 years compare
  13. 17 Paraguay 13 years compare
  14. 17 Philippines 13 years compare
  15. 17 Puerto Rico 13 years compare
  16. 17 Turks and Caicos Islands 13 years compare

See the full ranking of 243 places →

More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is compulsory education, duration in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Compulsory education, duration in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 9.5 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 9.5 years in 2021.
What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for compulsory education, duration?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 20th out of 46 groups with data for 2025.
Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/compulsory-education-duration-years/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

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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.