Duration of compulsory education in years in France
France: Duration of compulsory education in years was 13 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Duration of compulsory education in years in France, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in years in France is 13, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in years in France peaked at 13 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10, in 1998.
That places France 1st out of 73 countries 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.
Duration of compulsory education in years in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 10 | — |
| 1999 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13 | +30.0% |
| 2021 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 13 | +0.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 13 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.5, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- France's 13 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| 2000s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13 | 13 | 13 | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in years in France?
- Duration of compulsory education in years in France was 13 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education in years recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 13 in 2020.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education in years recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 10 in 1998.
- How does France rank for duration of compulsory education in years?
- France ranks 1st out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education in years rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Duration of compulsory education in years. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).