Number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in was 13 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
13
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 191 countries
All-time high
13
in 1998
All-time low
13
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in in United Kingdom, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in in United Kingdom stood at 13. 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 free primary and secondary education guaranteed in in United Kingdom peaked at 13 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 13, in 1998.
That places United Kingdom 1st out of 191 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13 | — |
| 1999 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 13 | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 13 is above the median for high income countries, which is 12, 1.1× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 13 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13 | 13 | 13 | 2 |
| 2000s | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
| 2010s | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13 | 13 | 13 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 1 Australia 13 compare
- 1 Bermuda 13 compare
- 1 Central African Republic 13 compare
- 1 Switzerland 13 compare
- 1 Congo 13 compare
- 1 Cook Islands 13 compare
- 1 Comoros 13 compare
- 1 Czechia 13 compare
- 1 Germany 13 compare
- 1 Gibraltar 13 compare
- 1 Sri Lanka 13 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 13 compare
- 1 North Macedonia 13 compare
- 1 Malta 13 compare
- 1 Montenegro 13 compare
- 1 Mauritania 13 compare
- 1 Mauritius 13 compare
- 1 New Zealand 13 compare
- 1 Romania 13 compare
- 1 San Marino 13 compare
- 1 Slovakia 13 compare
- 1 Slovenia 13 compare
- 1 Tanzania 13 compare
- 1 Uzbekistan 13 compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in in United Kingdom?
- Number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in in United Kingdom was 13 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 13 in 1998.
- What is the lowest number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 13 in 1998.
- How does United Kingdom rank for number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in?
- United Kingdom ranks 1st out of 191 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release