Official entrance age to compulsory education by country
Countries reporting
73
Highest
7
Estonia
Lowest
3
France
Median
6
Years covered
29
1997–2025
Data points
1,969
What the numbers show
Official entrance age to compulsory education is currently reported for 73 countries. The highest value is 7 in Estonia; the lowest is 3 in France.
The median across all reporting countries is 6, and the mean is 5.82.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 1 countries rose and 9 fell. The largest increase was in Liechtenstein (up 16.7%), and the largest decrease in France (down 50.0%).
Official entrance age to compulsory education: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estonia | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Liechtenstein | 7 | 2025 | up 16.7% | rising |
| 1 | Tajikistan | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Romania | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Russia | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Serbia | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Croatia | 7 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Republic of Moldova | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Poland | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Oman | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Norway | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Montenegro | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | North Macedonia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Qatar | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Monaco | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Morocco | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Lithuania | 6 | 2025 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 9 | Libya | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Lebanon | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Albania | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Portugal | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Palestine, State of | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Kuwait | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Sudan | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | San Marino | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Slovenia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Sweden | 6 | 2025 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 9 | Syrian Arab Republic | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Turkmenistan | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Tunisia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Türkiye | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Ukraine | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Yemen | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Egypt | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Andorra | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | United Arab Emirates | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Armenia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Azerbaijan | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Bahrain | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Belarus | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Germany | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Djibouti | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Denmark | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Algeria | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Kyrgyzstan | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 9 | Spain | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Finland | 6 | 2025 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 9 | Kazakhstan | 6 | 2025 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 9 | Iceland | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Iraq | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Italy | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Iran | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Ireland | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Jordan | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 9 | Georgia | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 59 | Greece | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 59 | Malta | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 59 | Czechia | 5 | 2025 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 59 | Cyprus | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 59 | United Kingdom | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 59 | Slovakia | 5 | 2025 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 59 | Latvia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 59 | Netherlands | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 59 | Austria | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 59 | Belgium | 5 | 2025 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 69 | Switzerland | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 69 | Bulgaria | 4 | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 69 | Luxembourg | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 69 | Hungary | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 73 | France | 3 | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |