Duration of compulsory education (years) in Poland
Poland: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 9 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
9 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
120th
of 206 countries
All-time high
10 years
in 2005
All-time low
9 years
in 2000
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Poland, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in Poland is 9 years, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Poland peaked at 10 years in 2005 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 2000.
That places Poland 120th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Poland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9 years | — |
| 2001 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 years | -10.0% |
| 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% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 9 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 11 years, 82% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Poland's 9 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10 years, 90% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.5 years | 9 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Poland
- 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 Iran 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 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 Poland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.55 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.91 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 322,900 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,398 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 776,213 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 735,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.60 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.04 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Poland?
- Duration of compulsory education in Poland was 9 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 10 years in 2005.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 2000.
- How does Poland rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Poland ranks 120th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Poland 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 — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release