Duration of compulsory education in Tanzania
Tanzania: Duration of compulsory education was 7 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Duration of compulsory education in Tanzania, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in Tanzania stood at 7 years. 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 Tanzania peaked at 7 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 1998.
Tanzania ranks 173rd of 205 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 years | — |
| 1999 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 years | +0.0% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 7 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 78% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 7 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8 years, 88% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More education data for Tanzania
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,006 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 331,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 851,911 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 824,648 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.3307 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1661 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Tanzania?
- Duration of compulsory education in Tanzania was 7 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- How does Tanzania rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Tanzania ranks 173rd out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.