Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden
Sweden: Official entrance age to compulsory education was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
9th
of 73 countries
All-time high
7
in 1998
All-time low
6
in 2019
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden is 6, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden peaked at 7 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6, in 2019.
That places Sweden 9th out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 | — |
| 1999 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 9 Jordan 6 compare
- 9 Yemen 6 compare
- 9 Oman 6 compare
- 9 Syrian Arab Republic 6 compare
- 9 Armenia 6 compare
- 9 Montenegro 6 compare
- 9 Denmark 6 compare
- 9 Iran, Islamic Republic of 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, State of 6 compare
- 9 Kyrgyzstan 6 compare
- 9 Norway 6 compare
- 9 Egypt 6 compare
- 9 Iraq 6 compare
- 9 Belarus 6 compare
- 9 Türkiye 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 Republic of Moldova 6 compare
- 9 Tunisia 6 compare
- 9 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 9 Andorra 6 compare
- 9 Ireland 6 compare
- 9 Algeria 6 compare
- 9 Lithuania 6 compare
- 9 Saudi Arabia 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 Sweden
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 71,551 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 114.87 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 114.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden was 6 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 2019.
- How does Sweden rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Sweden ranks 9th out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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
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