Duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Duration of compulsory education was 11 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom peaked at 11 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1998.
That places United Kingdom 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 United Kingdom
- 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 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 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 65 Tokelau 11 years compare
- 65 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 281,128 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.55 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 102.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom?
- Duration of compulsory education in United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 years 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 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.