Duration of compulsory education in Tonga
Tonga: Duration of compulsory education was 15 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Duration of compulsory education in Tonga, 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 Tonga stood at 15 years. 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 Tonga peaked at 15 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1998.
That places Tonga 3rd out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education in Tonga, 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 | 8 years | +33.3% |
| 2013 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 15 years | +87.5% |
| 2015 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 15 years | +0.0% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 15 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10 years, 1.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 15 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9 years, 1.7× the median. (29 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 | 11.8 years | 6 years | 15 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 15 years | 15 years | 15 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More education data for Tonga
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,086 (2015)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 20 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1,228 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1,164 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,132 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15,644 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1502 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Tonga?
- Duration of compulsory education in Tonga was 15 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 15 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- How does Tonga rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Tonga ranks 3rd out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga 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.