Duration of compulsory education in years by country
Countries reporting
73
Highest
13
Hungary
Lowest
6
Iraq
Median
10
Years covered
29
1997–2025
Data points
1,969
What the numbers show
Duration of compulsory education in years is currently reported for 73 countries. The highest value is 13 in Hungary; the lowest is 6 in Iraq.
The median across all reporting countries is 10, and the mean is 10.33.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 12 countries rose and 2 fell. The largest increase was in Qatar (up 33.3%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 10.0%).
Duration of compulsory education in years: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Austria | 13 | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 1 | Belgium | 13 | 2025 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 1 | North Macedonia | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | France | 13 | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 1 | Netherlands | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Germany | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 8 | Qatar | 12 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 8 | Italy | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Luxembourg | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Turkmenistan | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Finland | 12 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 8 | Türkiye | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Egypt | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Portugal | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Armenia | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Bulgaria | 12 | 2025 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 19 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 19 | Latvia | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 19 | Monaco | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 19 | Lithuania | 11 | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 19 | Malta | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 19 | Uzbekistan | 11 | 2025 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 19 | Ukraine | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 19 | Belarus | 11 | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 19 | Russia | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 19 | Switzerland | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 19 | Slovak Republic | 11 | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 30 | Lebanon | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 30 | San Marino | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Romania | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 30 | Ireland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 30 | Republic of Moldova | 10 | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 30 | Palestine, State of | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Norway | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Oman | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Greece | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 30 | Andorra | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Cyprus | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 30 | Czechia | 10 | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 30 | Djibouti | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Denmark | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 30 | Algeria | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Spain | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Iceland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Jordan | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 30 | Sweden | 10 | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 30 | Kyrgyzstan | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 50 | Yemen | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Slovenia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Tunisia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Tajikistan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Saudi Arabia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Syrian Arab Republic | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 50 | Albania | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 50 | Kazakhstan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Azerbaijan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Bahrain | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 50 | Estonia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Georgia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 50 | Iran | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 50 | Poland | 9 | 2025 | down 10.0% | flat |
| 50 | Kuwait | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Libya | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Liechtenstein | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 50 | Morocco | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 50 | Montenegro | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 70 | Croatia | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 70 | Serbia | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 70 | Sudan | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Iraq | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |