Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Denmark

Denmark: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 10 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
10
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
22nd
of 73 countries
All-time high
10
in 2011
All-time low
9
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025

Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Denmark, 1998–2025

02468101998201120251998: 91999: 92000: 92001: 92002: 92003: 92004: 92005: 92006: 92007: 92008: 92009: 92010: 92011: 102012: 102013: 102014: 102015: 102016: 102017: 102018: 102019: 102020: 102021: 102022: 102023: 102024: 102025: 10

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Denmark recorded 10 for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in 2025. 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 Denmark peaked at 10 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 9, in 1998.

That places Denmark 22nd out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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 Denmark, year by year

Annual values for Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks in Denmark, 1998 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1998 9
1999 9 +0.0%
2000 9 +0.0%
2001 9 +0.0%
2002 9 +0.0%
2003 9 +0.0%
2004 9 +0.0%
2005 9 +0.0%
2006 9 +0.0%
2007 9 +0.0%
2008 9 +0.0%
2009 9 +0.0%
2010 9 +0.0%
2011 10 +11.1%
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 10 +0.0%
2019 10 +0.0%
2020 10 +0.0%
2021 10 +0.0%
2022 10 +0.0%
2023 10 +0.0%
2024 10 +0.0%
2025 10 +0.0%

Denmark compared with similar countries

  • Denmark's 10 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • Denmark's 10 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9 9 9 2
2000s 9 9 9 10
2010s 9.9 9 10 10
2020s 10 10 10 6

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 22 Spain 10 compare
  2. 22 Andorra 10 compare
  3. 22 France 10 compare
  4. 22 Algeria 10 compare
  5. 22 Ireland 10 compare
  6. 22 Lithuania 10 compare
  7. 22 Lebanon 10 compare
  8. 22 Oman 10 compare
  9. 22 Jordan 10 compare
  10. 22 Luxembourg 10 compare
  11. 22 Slovakia 10 compare
  12. 22 Romania 10 compare
  13. 22 Norway 10 compare
  14. 22 Palestine, State of 10 compare
  15. 22 Iceland 10 compare
  16. 22 San Marino 10 compare
  17. 22 Hungary 10 compare
  18. 22 Liechtenstein 10 compare
  19. 22 Djibouti 10 compare
  20. 22 Switzerland 10 compare

See the full ranking of 73 places →

More education data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Denmark?
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Denmark was 10 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 10 in 2011.
What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 9 in 1998.
How does Denmark rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
Denmark ranks 22nd out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, 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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Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Denmark. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-years-of-compulsory-primary-and-secondary-education-guaranteed-in-legal-3/denmark/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
73 places, 1,966 data points, 1997–2025
Last refreshed