Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Netherlands
Netherlands: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 12 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
12
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
5th
of 214 countries
All-time high
12
in 1997
All-time low
12
in 1997
Years of data
29
1997–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Netherlands, 1997–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 12 for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Netherlands peaked at 12 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 12, in 1997.
That places Netherlands 5th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 12 | — |
| 1998 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 12 | +0.0% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 12 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.2× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 12 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 3 |
| 2000s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 5 Anguilla 12 compare
- 5 United Arab Emirates 12 compare
- 5 Argentina 12 compare
- 5 Armenia 12 compare
- 5 Austria 12 compare
- 5 Belgium 12 compare
- 5 Bahamas 12 compare
- 5 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 12 compare
- 5 Brazil 12 compare
- 5 Chile 12 compare
- 5 Cook Islands 12 compare
- 5 Curaçao 12 compare
- 5 Dominica 12 compare
- 5 Dominican Republic 12 compare
- 5 Ecuador 12 compare
- 5 Egypt 12 compare
- 5 Gibraltar 12 compare
- 5 Grenada 12 compare
- 5 Israel 12 compare
- 5 Italy 12 compare
- 5 Kenya 12 compare
- 5 Saint Kitts and Nevis 12 compare
- 5 Mexico 12 compare
- 5 Marshall Islands 12 compare
- 5 Mongolia 12 compare
- 5 Montserrat 12 compare
- 5 Mauritius 12 compare
- 5 Naoero 12 compare
- 5 Pakistan 12 compare
- 5 Philippines 12 compare
- 5 Palau 12 compare
- 5 Puerto Rico 12 compare
- 5 Portugal 12 compare
- 5 Paraguay 12 compare
- 5 Qatar 12 compare
- 5 Turkmenistan 12 compare
- 5 Türkiye 12 compare
- 5 Uruguay 12 compare
- 5 United States of America 12 compare
- 5 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12 compare
- 5 British Virgin Islands 12 compare
More education data for Netherlands
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Netherlands?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Netherlands was 12 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 12 in 1997.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 12 in 1997.
- How does Netherlands rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Netherlands ranks 5th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Netherlands 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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CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release