Duration of compulsory education in years in Iran
Iran: Duration of compulsory education in years was 9 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
50th
of 73 countries
All-time high
9
in 2013
All-time low
5
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in years in Iran, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in years in Iran is 9, measured 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, duration of compulsory education in years in Iran peaked at 9 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 5, in 1998.
Iran ranks 50th of 73 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education in years in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5 | — |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 | +60.0% |
| 2006 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 | +0.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 9 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Iran's 9 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9.5, 95% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.5 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 50 Saudi Arabia 9 compare
- 50 Kazakhstan 9 compare
- 50 Estonia 9 compare
- 50 Yemen 9 compare
- 50 Syria 9 compare
- 50 Montenegro 9 compare
- 50 Georgia 9 compare
- 50 Azerbaijan 9 compare
- 50 Morocco 9 compare
- 50 Libya 9 compare
- 50 Bahrain 9 compare
- 50 Tajikistan 9 compare
- 50 Slovenia 9 compare
- 50 Albania 9 compare
- 50 Liechtenstein 9 compare
- 50 Poland 9 compare
- 50 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 compare
- 50 Kuwait 9 compare
- 50 Tunisia 9 compare
More education data for Iran
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.5 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in years in Iran?
- Duration of compulsory education in years in Iran was 9 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education in years recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2013.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education in years recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 1998.
- How does Iran rank for duration of compulsory education in years?
- Iran ranks 50th out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education in years rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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).