Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Italy
Italy: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 12 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 73 countries
All-time high
12
in 2003
All-time low
8
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Italy, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Italy recorded 12 for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Italy peaked at 12 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 8, in 1998.
That places Italy 3rd out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8 | — |
| 1999 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12 | +50.0% |
| 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% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 12 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Italy's 12 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.8 | 8 | 12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0445 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Italy?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Italy was 12 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 12 in 2003.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 in 1998.
- How does Italy rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Italy ranks 3rd out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.
Download this data
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