Duration of compulsory education (years) in Iran
Iran: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 9 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
9 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
120th
of 206 countries
All-time high
9 years
in 2013
All-time low
5 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Iran, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in Iran is 9 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Iran peaked at 9 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1998.
That places Iran 120th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Iran, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5 years | — |
| 1999 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 years | +60.0% |
| 2006 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2014 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 years | +0.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 9 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10 years, 90% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Iran's 9 years is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 10 years, 90% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.5 years | 5 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.7 years | 8 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 120 Afghanistan 9 years compare
- 120 Albania 9 years compare
- 120 Azerbaijan 9 years compare
- 120 Bahrain 9 years compare
- 120 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 years compare
- 120 Brunei 9 years compare
- 120 China 9 years compare
- 120 Cuba 9 years compare
- 120 Estonia 9 years compare
- 120 Georgia 9 years compare
- 120 Gambia 9 years compare
- 120 Guinea-Bissau 9 years compare
- 120 Hong Kong 9 years compare
- 120 Indonesia 9 years compare
- 120 Japan 9 years compare
- 120 Kazakhstan 9 years compare
- 120 Kiribati 9 years compare
- 120 South Korea 9 years compare
- 120 Kuwait 9 years compare
- 120 Laos 9 years compare
- 120 Libya 9 years compare
- 120 Liechtenstein 9 years compare
- 120 Morocco 9 years compare
- 120 Mali 9 years compare
- 120 Montenegro 9 years compare
- 120 Mauritania 9 years compare
- 120 Nigeria 9 years compare
- 120 Nepal 9 years compare
- 120 Poland 9 years compare
- 120 Saudi Arabia 9 years compare
- 120 Sierra Leone 9 years compare
- 120 Slovenia 9 years compare
- 120 Syria 9 years compare
- 120 Thailand 9 years compare
- 120 Tajikistan 9 years compare
- 120 East Timor 9 years compare
- 120 Tunisia 9 years compare
- 120 Tuvalu 9 years compare
- 120 Yemen 9 years compare
- 120 South Africa 9 years compare
More education data for Iran
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.5 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Iran?
- Duration of compulsory education in Iran was 9 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 9 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1998.
- How does Iran rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Iran ranks 120th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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 · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release