Duration of compulsory education in Germany
Germany: Duration of compulsory education was 13 years in 2025. β¬ Flat
Latest (2025)
13 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 200 countries
All-time high
13 years
in 1998
All-time low
13 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998β2025
Duration of compulsory education in Germany, 1998β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in Germany stood at 13 years. 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 Germany peaked at 13 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 13 years, in 1998.
That places Germany 17th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 17 Aruba, Kingdom of the Netherlands 13 years compare
- 17 Austria 13 years compare
- 17 Belgium 13 years compare
- 17 Bermuda 13 years compare
- 17 Costa Rica 13 years compare
- 17 France 13 years compare
- 17 Gibraltar 13 years compare
- 17 Hungary 13 years compare
- 17 Marshall Islands, Republic of the 13 years compare
- 17 North Macedonia, Republic of 13 years compare
- 17 Netherlands 13 years compare
- 17 Philippines 13 years compare
- 17 Puerto Rico 13 years compare
- 17 Paraguay 13 years compare
- 17 Turks and Caicos Islands 13 years compare
More education data for Germany
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 283,851 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 13.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0034 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Germany?
- Duration of compulsory education in Germany was 13 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 13 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 13 years in 1998.
- How does Germany rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Germany ranks 17th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release