Duration of compulsory education (years) in India
India: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 8 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
8 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
161st
of 206 countries
All-time high
8 years
in 2009
All-time low
8 years
in 2009
Years of data
17
2009–2025
Duration of compulsory education in India, 2009–2025
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 161st out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in India, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 8 years | — |
| 2010 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 8 years | +0.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 8 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 89% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- India's 8 years is below the median for South Asia, which is 9 years, 89% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
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
- 161 Belize 8 years compare
- 161 Eritrea 8 years compare
- 161 Ethiopia 8 years compare
- 161 Micronesia (country) 8 years compare
- 161 Croatia 8 years compare
- 161 Malawi 8 years compare
- 161 Sudan 8 years compare
- 161 Somalia 8 years compare
- 161 Serbia 8 years compare
- 161 South Sudan 8 years compare
- 161 Samoa 8 years compare
More education data for India
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.38 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.88 (2025)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (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 161st out of 206 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.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release