Duration of compulsory education in Liberia
Liberia: 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 2003
All-time low
6 years
in 2003
Years of data
23
2003–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Liberia, 2003–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 6 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Liberia peaked at 6 years in 2003 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 2003.
Liberia ranks 182nd of 205 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education in Liberia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 6 years | — |
| 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% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 6 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.5 years, 71% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Liberia'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
- 182 Benin 6 years compare
- 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 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 Liberia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,857 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,815 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 123,519 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 123,876 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 274,573 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 569,741 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.417 % 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 0.106 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Liberia?
- Duration of compulsory education in Liberia 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 2003.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 2003.
- How does Liberia rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Liberia ranks 182nd out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Liberia 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
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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.