Duration of compulsory education (years) in Samoa
Samoa: 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 1998
All-time low
8 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Samoa, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in Samoa stood at 8 years. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Samoa peaked at 8 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 8 years, in 1998.
That places Samoa 161st out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Samoa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8 years | — |
| 1999 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 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 | 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% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 8 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10 years, 80% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 8 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9 years, 89% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 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 India 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
More education data for Samoa
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.98 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.19 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,211 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 397 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,580 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,585 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25,964 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 34,962 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1171 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Samoa?
- Duration of compulsory education in Samoa was 8 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 8 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 years in 1998.
- How does Samoa rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Samoa ranks 161st out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Samoa 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