Duration of compulsory education in Benin
Benin: Duration of compulsory education was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
182nd
of 205 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 Benin, 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 Benin is 6 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Benin peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1998.
Benin ranks 182nd of 205 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education in Benin, 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% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 6 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 67% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Benin'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 Benin
- 182 Cameroon 6 years compare
- 182 Comoros 6 years compare
- 182 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 years compare
- 182 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
- 182 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 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years compare
- 182 Singapore 6 years compare
- 182 Suriname 6 years compare
More education data for Benin
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 57,296 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 209,295 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,495 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 84,746 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 929,099 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.40 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1743 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Benin?
- Duration of compulsory education in Benin was 6 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- How does Benin rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Benin ranks 182nd out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Benin 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.