Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) was 6 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
9th
of 73 countries
All-time high
6
in 2004
All-time low
6
in 2004
Years of data
22
2004–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Saudi Arabia, 2004–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in Saudi Arabia stood at 6. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Saudi Arabia peaked at 6 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 6, in 2004.
That places Saudi Arabia 9th out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 6 | — |
| 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 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 6 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 6 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 9 Jordan 6 compare
- 9 Yemen 6 compare
- 9 Oman 6 compare
- 9 Syria 6 compare
- 9 Armenia 6 compare
- 9 Montenegro 6 compare
- 9 Denmark 6 compare
- 9 Iran 6 compare
- 9 Georgia 6 compare
- 9 Morocco 6 compare
- 9 Azerbaijan 6 compare
- 9 Ukraine 6 compare
- 9 Libya 6 compare
- 9 Bahrain 6 compare
- 9 Sudan 6 compare
- 9 Finland 6 compare
- 9 Palestine 6 compare
- 9 Kyrgyzstan 6 compare
- 9 Norway 6 compare
- 9 Egypt 6 compare
- 9 Iraq 6 compare
- 9 Belarus 6 compare
- 9 Turkey 6 compare
- 9 Iceland 6 compare
- 9 Slovenia 6 compare
- 9 Monaco 6 compare
- 9 Djibouti 6 compare
- 9 Albania 6 compare
- 9 San Marino 6 compare
- 9 Poland 6 compare
- 9 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 9 Kuwait 6 compare
- 9 Portugal 6 compare
- 9 Spain 6 compare
- 9 North Macedonia 6 compare
- 9 Italy 6 compare
- 9 Moldova 6 compare
- 9 Tunisia 6 compare
- 9 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 9 Sweden 6 compare
- 9 Andorra 6 compare
- 9 Ireland 6 compare
- 9 Algeria 6 compare
- 9 Lithuania 6 compare
- 9 Germany 6 compare
- 9 Lebanon 6 compare
- 9 Turkmenistan 6 compare
- 9 Qatar 6 compare
- 9 Kazakhstan 6 compare
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.72 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.47 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Saudi Arabia?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Saudi Arabia was 6 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 2004.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 2004.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 9th out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 22 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).