Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Official entrance age to compulsory education was 5 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
5
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
59th
of 73 countries
All-time high
5
in 1998
All-time low
5
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom stood at 5. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom peaked at 5 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 5, in 1998.
That places United Kingdom 59th out of 73 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom, 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 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom was 5 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 1998.
- How does United Kingdom rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- United Kingdom ranks 59th out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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).