Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (entrance years) in Tonga
Tonga: Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (entrance years) was 4 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
171st
of 206 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1998
All-time low
4 years
in 2014
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Tonga, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in Tonga stood at 4 years. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Tonga peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4 years, in 2014.
Tonga ranks 171st of 206 countries on this measure, 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 (years) (entrance years) in Tonga, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 years | — |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 years | -33.3% |
| 2015 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 years | +0.0% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 4 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 4 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8 years | 4 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
- 171 Aruba 4 years compare
- 171 Argentina 4 years compare
- 171 Bulgaria 4 years compare
- 171 Bolivia 4 years compare
- 171 Brazil 4 years compare
- 171 Switzerland 4 years compare
- 171 Costa Rica 4 years compare
- 171 Curacao 4 years compare
- 171 Cayman Islands 4 years compare
- 171 Ghana 4 years compare
- 171 Gibraltar 4 years compare
- 171 Hungary 4 years compare
- 171 Luxembourg 4 years compare
- 171 Maldives 4 years compare
- 171 Mexico 4 years compare
- 171 Nepal 4 years compare
- 171 Nauru 4 years compare
- 171 Panama 4 years compare
- 171 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 4 years compare
- 171 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 years compare
- 171 Uruguay 4 years compare
More education data for Tonga
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 87.87 (1999)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.13 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,086 (2015)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 20 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1,228 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1,164 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,132 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15,644 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Tonga?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Tonga was 4 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 years in 2014.
- How does Tonga rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Tonga ranks 171st out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release