Duration of compulsory education in Switzerland
Switzerland: 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 Switzerland, 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 Switzerland is 11 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 Switzerland peaked at 11 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1998.
That places Switzerland 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education in Switzerland, 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% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 11 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 11 years, 1.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 11 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10 years, 1.1× the median. (53 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 Switzerland
- 65 Antigua and Barbuda 11 years compare
- 65 Australia 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 Tokelau 11 years compare
- 65 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 65 United Kingdom 11 years compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for Switzerland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 68,266 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 5,583 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,990 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 89,549 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 636,381 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 556,945 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0618 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Switzerland?
- Duration of compulsory education in Switzerland 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- How does Switzerland rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Switzerland ranks 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.
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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.