Duration of compulsory education in North Korea
North Korea: Duration of compulsory education was 12 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 200 countries
All-time high
12 years
in 2014
All-time low
11 years
in 1975
Years of data
51
1975–2025
Duration of compulsory education in North Korea, 1975–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in North Korea stood at 12 years. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in North Korea peaked at 12 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1975.
North Korea ranks 33rd of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education in North Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 11 years | — |
| 1976 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 12 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.6 years | 11 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 years | 12 years | 12 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 33 United Arab Emirates 12 years compare
- 33 Armenia 12 years compare
- 33 Bulgaria 12 years compare
- 33 Bahamas 12 years compare
- 33 Chile 12 years compare
- 33 Colombia 12 years compare
- 33 Cayman Islands 12 years compare
- 33 Dominica 12 years compare
- 33 Egypt 12 years compare
- 33 Finland 12 years compare
- 33 Grenada 12 years compare
- 33 Honduras 12 years compare
- 33 Italy 12 years compare
- 33 Kenya 12 years compare
- 33 Saint Kitts and Nevis 12 years compare
- 33 Luxembourg 12 years compare
- 33 Maldives 12 years compare
- 33 Mongolia 12 years compare
- 33 Mauritius 12 years compare
- 33 Pakistan 12 years compare
- 33 Palau 12 years compare
- 33 Portugal 12 years compare
- 33 Qatar 12 years compare
- 33 Turkmenistan 12 years compare
- 33 Turkey 12 years compare
- 33 United States 12 years compare
- 33 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12 years compare
- 33 British Virgin Islands 12 years compare
More education data for North Korea
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 5 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in North Korea?
- Duration of compulsory education in North Korea was 12 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 12 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 years in 1975.
- How does North Korea rank for duration of compulsory education?
- North Korea ranks 33rd out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea 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 — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release