Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) in Switzerland
Switzerland: Official entrance age to compulsory education (UNICEF) was 4 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland stood at 4. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland peaked at 5 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4, in 2015.
That places Switzerland 69th out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5 | — |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2016 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 | +0.0% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 4 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6, 67% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 4 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 67% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More education data for Switzerland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.87 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.86 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 68,266 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 5,583 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,990 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 89,549 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 636,381 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 556,945 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland was 4 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 2015.
- How does Switzerland rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Switzerland ranks 69th out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.
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