Duration of compulsory education (years) in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
182nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1998
All-time low
6 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 6 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. 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 Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1998.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 182nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 years | — |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +0.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 6 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 67% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 6 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8 years, 75% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
- 182 Benin 6 years compare
- 182 Cameroon 6 years compare
- 182 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 years compare
- 182 Comoros 6 years compare
- 182 Guinea 6 years compare
- 182 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
- 182 Guyana 6 years compare
- 182 Haiti 6 years compare
- 182 Iraq 6 years compare
- 182 Jamaica 6 years compare
- 182 Liberia 6 years compare
- 182 Malaysia 6 years compare
- 182 Rwanda 6 years compare
- 182 Singapore 6 years compare
- 182 Suriname 6 years compare
More education data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.27 (2017)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.12 (2017)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 936 (2016)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 4,544 (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,458 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,769 (2016)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25,875 (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,172 (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.14 % change on previous year (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Duration of compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 182nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe 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