Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (entrance years) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (entrance years) was 5 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
5 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
129th
of 206 countries
All-time high
5 years
in 1997
All-time low
5 years
in 1997
Years of data
29
1997–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Netherlands, 1997–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Netherlands is 5 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Netherlands peaked at 5 years in 1997 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1997.
Netherlands ranks 129th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (entrance years) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 5 years | — |
| 1998 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 years | +0.0% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 5 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 6 years, 83% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 5 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6 years, 83% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 129 Angola 5 years compare
- 129 Anguilla 5 years compare
- 129 Antigua and Barbuda 5 years compare
- 129 Austria 5 years compare
- 129 Belgium 5 years compare
- 129 Bahamas 5 years compare
- 129 Belize 5 years compare
- 129 Bermuda 5 years compare
- 129 Barbados 5 years compare
- 129 Cook Islands 5 years compare
- 129 Colombia 5 years compare
- 129 Cyprus 5 years compare
- 129 Czechia 5 years compare
- 129 Dominica 5 years compare
- 129 United Kingdom 5 years compare
- 129 Greece 5 years compare
- 129 Grenada 5 years compare
- 129 Honduras 5 years compare
- 129 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 years compare
- 129 Saint Lucia 5 years compare
- 129 Sri Lanka 5 years compare
- 129 Latvia 5 years compare
- 129 Macao 5 years compare
- 129 Marshall Islands 5 years compare
- 129 Malta 5 years compare
- 129 Myanmar 5 years compare
- 129 Montserrat 5 years compare
- 129 Mauritius 5 years compare
- 129 Nicaragua 5 years compare
- 129 Niue 5 years compare
- 129 Pakistan 5 years compare
- 129 Philippines 5 years compare
- 129 Puerto Rico 5 years compare
- 129 Paraguay 5 years compare
- 129 Slovakia 5 years compare
- 129 Tokelau 5 years compare
- 129 Trinidad and Tobago 5 years compare
- 129 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 years compare
- 129 British Virgin Islands 5 years compare
- 129 Vietnam 5 years compare
- 129 Samoa 5 years compare
More education data for Netherlands
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.64 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.48 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Netherlands?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Netherlands was 5 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1997.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1997.
- How does Netherlands rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Netherlands ranks 129th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release