Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Australia
Australia: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 11 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
11
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
47th
of 214 countries
All-time high
11
in 1998
All-time low
11
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Australia, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Australia stood at 11. 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, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Australia peaked at 11 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11, in 1998.
That places Australia 47th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Australia, 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% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 11 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.1× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Australia's 11 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9, 1.2× the median. (33 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 Australia
- 47 Aruba 11 compare
- 47 Antigua and Barbuda 11 compare
- 47 Belarus 11 compare
- 47 Barbados 11 compare
- 47 Colombia 11 compare
- 47 Costa Rica 11 compare
- 47 Cayman Islands 11 compare
- 47 Finland 11 compare
- 47 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 11 compare
- 47 Honduras 11 compare
- 47 Sri Lanka 11 compare
- 47 Monaco 11 compare
- 47 Malta 11 compare
- 47 Niue 11 compare
- 47 Peru 11 compare
- 47 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 11 compare
- 47 Russian Federation 11 compare
- 47 Senegal 11 compare
- 47 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 11 compare
- 47 Seychelles 11 compare
- 47 Turks and Caicos Islands 11 compare
- 47 Tokelau 11 compare
- 47 Ukraine 11 compare
- 47 Uzbekistan 11 compare
- 47 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11 compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Australia?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Australia was 11 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 11 in 1998.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 in 1998.
- How does Australia rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Australia ranks 47th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release