Official entrance age to compulsory education in France
France: Official entrance age to compulsory education 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 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% |
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
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 229,471 (2013)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 61.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 103.44 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 103.4% (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).