Duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Duration of compulsory education was 11 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
11
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
65th
of 205 countries
All-time high
11
in 1998
All-time low
11
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom is 11, 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 United Kingdom peaked at 11 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11, in 1998.
That places United Kingdom 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11 | — |
| 1999 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 11 | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 11 is above the median for high income countries, which is 11, 1.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 11 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 | 11 | 11 | 2 |
| 2000s | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| 2010s | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 65 Antigua and Barbuda 11 compare
- 65 Australia 11 compare
- 65 Barbados 11 compare
- 65 Belarus 11 compare
- 65 Ghana 11 compare
- 65 Latvia 11 compare
- 65 Lithuania 11 compare
- 65 Malta 11 compare
- 65 Monaco 11 compare
- 65 Niue 11 compare
- 65 Panama 11 compare
- 65 Russia 11 compare
- 65 Senegal 11 compare
- 65 Seychelles 11 compare
- 65 Slovakia 11 compare
- 65 Sri Lanka 11 compare
- 65 Switzerland 11 compare
- 65 Tokelau 11 compare
- 65 Ukraine 11 compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 11 compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom?
- Duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom was 11 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 11 in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 in 1998.
- How does United Kingdom rank for duration of compulsory education?
- United Kingdom ranks 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from 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).