Duration of compulsory education in years in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Duration of compulsory education in years was 12 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Duration of compulsory education in years in United Arab Emirates, 1999–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
United Arab Emirates recorded 12 for duration of compulsory education in years in 2025. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in years in United Arab Emirates peaked at 12 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1999.
That places United Arab Emirates 8th out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education in years in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 6 | — |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 12 | +100.0% |
| 2013 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 12 | +0.0% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 12 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.5, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 12 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9.5, 1.3× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.8 | 6 | 12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More education data for United Arab Emirates
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.88 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 100 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,178 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 305 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 119,159 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 125,307 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 894,302 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 586,477 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in years in United Arab Emirates?
- Duration of compulsory education in years in United Arab Emirates was 12 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education in years recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 12 in 2012.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education in years recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1999.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for duration of compulsory education in years?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 8th out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education in years rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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 — 27 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).