Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nepal
Nepal: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 8 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nepal, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 8 for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nepal peaked at 8 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1998.
That places Nepal 159th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 8 | — |
| 2016 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 8 | +0.0% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 8 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 8 is above the median for South Asia, which is 8, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 159 Belize 8 compare
- 159 Eritrea 8 compare
- 159 Ethiopia 8 compare
- 159 Micronesia, Federated States of 8 compare
- 159 Croatia 8 compare
- 159 India 8 compare
- 159 Malawi 8 compare
- 159 Poland 8 compare
- 159 Sudan 8 compare
- 159 Somalia 8 compare
- 159 Serbia 8 compare
- 159 South Sudan 8 compare
- 159 Samoa 8 compare
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nepal?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nepal was 8 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 2015.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1998.
- How does Nepal rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Nepal ranks 159th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release