Duration of compulsory education (years) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
201
Highest
17 years
Venezuela
Lowest
0 years
Saint Helena
Median
10 years
Years covered
51
1975–2025
Data points
5,393
What the numbers show
Duration of compulsory education (years) is currently reported for 201 countries. The highest value is 17 years in Venezuela; the lowest is 0 years in Saint Helena.
The median across all reporting countries is 10 years, and the mean is 10.13 years.
Over the past decade 23 countries rose and 2 fell. The largest increase was in Laos (up 80.0%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 10.0%).
Duration of compulsory education (years): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venezuela | 17 years | 2025 | up 21.4% | rising |
| 2 | Guatemala | 16 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Dominican Republic | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Ecuador | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Israel | 15 years | 2025 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 3 | El Salvador | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Tonga | 15 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Argentina | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Bolivia | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Brazil | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Curacao | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Mexico | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Nauru | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Peru | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 8 | Uruguay | 14 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Aruba | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Austria | 13 years | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 17 | Belgium | 13 years | 2025 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 17 | Bermuda | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Costa Rica | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Germany | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | France | 13 years | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 17 | Gibraltar | 13 years | 2025 | up 30.0% | rising |
| 17 | Hungary | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Marshall Islands | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | North Macedonia | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Netherlands | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Philippines | 13 years | 2025 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 17 | Puerto Rico | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 17 | Paraguay | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 13 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | United Arab Emirates | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Armenia | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Bulgaria | 12 years | 2025 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 33 | Bahamas | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Chile | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Colombia | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Cayman Islands | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Dominica | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Egypt | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Finland | 12 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 33 | Grenada | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Honduras | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Italy | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Kenya | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Luxembourg | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Maldives | 12 years | 2025 | up 71.4% | rising |
| 33 | Mongolia | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Mauritius | 12 years | 2025 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 33 | Pakistan | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Palau | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | North Korea | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Portugal | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Qatar | 12 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 33 | Turkmenistan | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Turkey | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | United States | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | British Virgin Islands | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Anguilla | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Cook Islands | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Montserrat | 12 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 65 | Antigua and Barbuda | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Australia | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Belarus | 11 years | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 65 | Barbados | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Switzerland | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | United Kingdom | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Ghana | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 65 | Sri Lanka | 11 years | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 65 | Lithuania | 11 years | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 65 | Latvia | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Monaco | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Malta | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Panama | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Russia | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 65 | Senegal | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 65 | Slovakia | 11 years | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 65 | Seychelles | 11 years | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 65 | Ukraine | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 65 | Uzbekistan | 11 years | 2025 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 65 | Niue | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 65 | Tokelau | 11 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Angola | 10 years | 2025 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 86 | Andorra | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Burkina Faso | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Central African Republic | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Canada | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Cote d'Ivoire | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Congo | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Cape Verde | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Cyprus | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Czechia | 10 years | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 86 | Djibouti | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Denmark | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Algeria | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Spain | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Gabon | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Greece | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Ireland | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Iceland | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Jordan | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Kyrgyzstan | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Lebanon | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Saint Lucia | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Macao | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Moldova | 10 years | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 86 | Norway | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | New Zealand | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Oman | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Palestine | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Romania | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | San Marino | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Sweden | 10 years | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 86 | Chad | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 86 | Togo | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 86 | Vietnam | 10 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Afghanistan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Albania | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Azerbaijan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Bahrain | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Brunei | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | China | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Cuba | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Estonia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Georgia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Gambia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Guinea-Bissau | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Hong Kong | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Indonesia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Iran | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Japan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Kazakhstan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Kiribati | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | South Korea | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Kuwait | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Laos | 9 years | 2025 | up 80.0% | rising |
| 120 | Libya | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Liechtenstein | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Morocco | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Mali | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Montenegro | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Mauritania | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Nigeria | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Nepal | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Poland | 9 years | 2025 | down 10.0% | flat |
| 120 | Saudi Arabia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Sierra Leone | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Slovenia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Syria | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Thailand | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Tajikistan | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | East Timor | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 120 | Tunisia | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | Tuvalu | 9 years | 2025 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 120 | Yemen | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 120 | South Africa | 9 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Belize | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Eritrea | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Ethiopia | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Micronesia (country) | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Croatia | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | India | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Malawi | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Sudan | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 161 | Somalia | 8 years | 2025 | — | flat |
| 161 | Serbia | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | South Sudan | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 161 | Samoa | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Lesotho | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Namibia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Nicaragua | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 173 | Eswatini | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Trinidad and Tobago | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 173 | Tanzania | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Uganda | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Zambia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Zimbabwe | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Benin | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Cameroon | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Comoros | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Guinea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Equatorial Guinea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 182 | Guyana | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Haiti | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Iraq | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Jamaica | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Liberia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Malaysia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Rwanda | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Singapore | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Sao Tome and Principe | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Suriname | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 198 | Bangladesh | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 198 | Madagascar | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 198 | Myanmar | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 201 | Saint Helena | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release