Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Philippines
Philippines: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 12 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
5th
of 214 countries
All-time high
12
in 2018
All-time low
10
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Philippines, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Philippines is 12, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Philippines peaked at 12 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 10, in 1998.
Philippines ranks 5th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Philippines, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 10 | — |
| 1999 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 | +20.0% |
| 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% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 12 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9.5, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 12 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9, 1.3× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| 2000s | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.4 | 10 | 12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
- 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 Netherlands 12 compare
- 5 Naoero 12 compare
- 5 Pakistan 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 Philippines
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 495,843 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 201,568 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.06 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 983,812 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.87 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.06 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.8345 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1128 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Philippines?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Philippines 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 12 in 2018.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 10 in 1998.
- How does Philippines rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Philippines ranks 5th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Philippines 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