Duration of compulsory education (years) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 13 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
13 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 206 countries
All-time high
13 years
in 1997
All-time low
13 years
in 1997
Years of data
29
1997–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Netherlands, 1997–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in Netherlands stood at 13 years. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Netherlands peaked at 13 years in 1997 and was at its lowest, 13 years, in 1997.
That places Netherlands 17th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 13 years | — |
| 1998 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 13 years | +0.0% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 13 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 11 years, 1.2× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 13 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10 years, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13 years | 13 years | 13 years | 3 |
| 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 Netherlands
- 17 Aruba 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 Germany 13 years compare
- 17 France 13 years compare
- 17 Gibraltar 13 years compare
- 17 Hungary 13 years compare
- 17 Marshall Islands 13 years compare
- 17 North Macedonia 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 Netherlands
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.64 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.48 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Netherlands?
- Duration of compulsory education in Netherlands was 13 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 13 years in 1997.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 13 years in 1997.
- How does Netherlands rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Netherlands ranks 17th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Netherlands 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 — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release