Duration of compulsory education in Australia
Australia: Duration of compulsory education was 11 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
11 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
65th
of 205 countries
All-time high
11 years
in 1998
All-time low
11 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Australia, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in Australia is 11 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Australia peaked at 11 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1998.
Australia ranks 65th of 205 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11 years | — |
| 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 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 11 years | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 11 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 11 years, 1.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Australia's 11 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9 years, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 65 Antigua and Barbuda 11 years compare
- 65 Barbados 11 years compare
- 65 Belarus 11 years compare
- 65 Ghana 11 years compare
- 65 Latvia 11 years compare
- 65 Lithuania 11 years compare
- 65 Malta 11 years compare
- 65 Monaco 11 years compare
- 65 Niue 11 years compare
- 65 Panama 11 years compare
- 65 Russia 11 years compare
- 65 Senegal 11 years compare
- 65 Seychelles 11 years compare
- 65 Slovakia 11 years compare
- 65 Sri Lanka 11 years compare
- 65 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 65 Tokelau 11 years compare
- 65 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 65 United Kingdom 11 years compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Australia?
- Duration of compulsory education in Australia was 11 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- How does Australia rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Australia ranks 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of years of compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.