Duration of compulsory education in India
India: Duration of compulsory education was 8 years in 2025. β¬ Flat
Latest (2025)
8 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
156th
of 200 countries
All-time high
8 years
in 2009
All-time low
8 years
in 2009
Years of data
17
2009β2025
Duration of compulsory education in India, 2009β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in India stood at 8 years. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in India peaked at 8 years in 2009 and was at its lowest, 8 years, in 2009.
That places India 156th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 1 |
| 2010s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 156 Belize 8 years compare
- 156 Eritrea, The State of 8 years compare
- 156 Ethiopia, The Federal Democratic Republic of 8 years compare
- 156 Micronesia, Federated States of 8 years compare
- 156 Croatia, Republic of 8 years compare
- 156 Malawi 8 years compare
- 156 Sudan 8 years compare
- 156 Somalia 8 years compare
- 156 Serbia, Republic of 8 years compare
- 156 South Sudan, Republic of 8 years compare
- 156 Samoa 8 years compare
More education data for India
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.19 million (2025)
- 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 68.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 111.0% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0035 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in India?
- Duration of compulsory education in India was 8 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 8 years in 2009.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 years in 2009.
- How does India rank for duration of compulsory education?
- India ranks 156th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this India 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 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release