Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
201
Highest
13
Bermuda
Lowest
0
Saint Helena
Median
10
Years covered
51
1975–2025
Data points
5,894
What the numbers show
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks is currently reported for 201 countries. The highest value is 13 in Bermuda; the lowest is 0 in Saint Helena.
The median across all reporting countries is 10, and the mean is 9.62.
Over the past decade 14 countries rose and 2 fell. The largest increase was in Laos (up 80.0%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 11.1%).
Number of years of compulsory primary … years primary secondary: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bermuda | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Germany | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | North Macedonia | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Tonga | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | United Arab Emirates | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Argentina | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Armenia | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Austria | 12 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 5 | Belgium | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Bahamas | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Bolivia | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Brazil | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Chile | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Curacao | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Dominica | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Dominican Republic | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Ecuador | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Egypt | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Gibraltar | 12 | 2025 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 5 | Grenada | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Israel | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Italy | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Kenya | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Mexico | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Marshall Islands | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Mongolia | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Mauritius | 12 | 2025 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 5 | Netherlands | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Nauru | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Pakistan | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Philippines | 12 | 2025 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 5 | Palau | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Puerto Rico | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Portugal | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Paraguay | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Qatar | 12 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 5 | Turkmenistan | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Turkey | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Uruguay | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | United States | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 5 | British Virgin Islands | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Anguilla | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Cook Islands | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Montserrat | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Aruba | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 47 | Antigua and Barbuda | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Australia | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Belarus | 11 | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 47 | Barbados | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Colombia | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Costa Rica | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Cayman Islands | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Finland | 11 | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 47 | United Kingdom | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Honduras | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Sri Lanka | 11 | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 47 | Monaco | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Malta | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Peru | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | North Korea | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Russia | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Senegal | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Seychelles | 11 | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 47 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Ukraine | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Uzbekistan | 11 | 2025 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 47 | Venezuela | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 47 | Niue | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 47 | Tokelau | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Andorra | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Burkina Faso | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Central African Republic | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Canada | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Switzerland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Cote d'Ivoire | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Congo | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Cape Verde | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Djibouti | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Denmark | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Algeria | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Spain | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | France | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Gabon | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Hungary | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 73 | Ireland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Iceland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Jordan | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Lebanon | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Saint Lucia | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Liechtenstein | 10 | 2025 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 73 | Lithuania | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Luxembourg | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Maldives | 10 | 2025 | up 42.9% | rising |
| 73 | Norway | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | New Zealand | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Oman | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 73 | Palestine | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Romania | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | San Marino | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Slovakia | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 73 | Chad | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 73 | Togo | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Afghanistan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Angola | 9 | 2025 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 106 | Albania | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Azerbaijan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Bulgaria | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Bahrain | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 106 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Brunei | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 106 | China | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Cuba | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Cyprus | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Czechia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Estonia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Georgia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Ghana | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Gambia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Guinea-Bissau | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Greece | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Guatemala | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Hong Kong | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Indonesia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Iran | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Japan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Kazakhstan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Kyrgyzstan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Kiribati | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 106 | South Korea | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Kuwait | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Laos | 9 | 2025 | up 80.0% | rising |
| 106 | Libya | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Latvia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Macao | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Morocco | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Moldova | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Mali | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Montenegro | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Mauritania | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Nigeria | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 106 | Panama | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Saudi Arabia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Sierra Leone | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 106 | El Salvador | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Slovenia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Sweden | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Syria | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Thailand | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Tajikistan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | East Timor | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Tunisia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | Tuvalu | 9 | 2025 | up 12.5% | volatile |
| 106 | Vietnam | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 106 | Yemen | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 106 | South Africa | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 159 | Belize | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 159 | Eritrea | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 159 | Ethiopia | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 159 | Micronesia (country) | 8 | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 159 | Croatia | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 159 | India | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 159 | Malawi | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 159 | Nepal | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 159 | Poland | 8 | 2025 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 159 | Sudan | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 159 | Somalia | 8 | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 159 | Serbia | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 159 | South Sudan | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 159 | Samoa | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Lesotho | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 173 | Namibia | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Eswatini | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 173 | Trinidad and Tobago | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 173 | Tanzania | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Uganda | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 173 | Zambia | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Zimbabwe | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Benin | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Cameroon | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Comoros | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 181 | Guinea | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Equatorial Guinea | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 181 | Guyana | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Haiti | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Iraq | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Jamaica | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Liberia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 181 | Malaysia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 181 | Nicaragua | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Rwanda | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Singapore | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 181 | Sao Tome and Principe | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 181 | Suriname | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 198 | Bangladesh | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 198 | Madagascar | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 198 | Myanmar | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 201 | Saint Helena | 0 | 2025 | — | volatile |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release