Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks by country
Countries reporting
73
Highest
13
Germany
Lowest
6
Iraq
Median
10
Years covered
29
1997–2025
Data points
1,966
What the numbers show
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks is currently reported for 73 countries. The highest value is 13 in Germany; the lowest is 6 in Iraq.
The median across all reporting countries is 10, and the mean is 9.97.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 5 countries rose and 2 fell. The largest increase was in Qatar (up 33.3%), and the largest decrease in Poland (down 11.1%).
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | North Macedonia | 13 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Netherlands | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Italy | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Qatar | 12 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 3 | Egypt | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Portugal | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Türkiye | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Belgium | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Austria | 12 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 3 | Armenia | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates | 12 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 14 | Belarus | 11 | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 14 | Malta | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Uzbekistan | 11 | 2025 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 14 | Ukraine | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 14 | Monaco | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Russian Federation | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 14 | Finland | 11 | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 14 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 11 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Andorra | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Jordan | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Romania | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 22 | Lebanon | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 22 | Liechtenstein | 10 | 2025 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 22 | Lithuania | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Luxembourg | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 22 | Palestine, State of | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Oman | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Norway | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | San Marino | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Switzerland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 22 | Djibouti | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Denmark | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 22 | Algeria | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Spain | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | France | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Hungary | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 22 | Ireland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 22 | Slovakia | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 22 | Iceland | 10 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Sweden | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Syrian Arab Republic | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Slovenia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Tajikistan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Saudi Arabia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Tunisia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Albania | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Yemen | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Republic of Moldova | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Azerbaijan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Bulgaria | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Bahrain | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Cyprus | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Czechia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Estonia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Georgia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Greece | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Kazakhstan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Kyrgyzstan | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Kuwait | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Libya | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Latvia | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 43 | Morocco | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 43 | Montenegro | 9 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 69 | Serbia | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 69 | Croatia | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 69 | Sudan | 8 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 69 | Poland | 8 | 2025 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 73 | Iraq | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |