Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) in France
France: Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) was 3 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Official entrance age to compulsory education in France, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in France is 3, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in France peaked at 6 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2020.
France ranks 73rd of 73 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | — |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | -50.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 3 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6, 50% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- France's 3 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 50% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in France?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in France was 3 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2020.
- How does France rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- France ranks 73rd out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).