Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (entrance years) in Uruguay
Uruguay: 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 2008
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Uruguay, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Uruguay is 4 years, measured in 2025. 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 Uruguay peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4 years, in 2008.
That places Uruguay 171st out of 206 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 (years) (entrance years) in Uruguay, 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 | 4 years | -33.3% |
| 2009 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 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% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 4 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 4 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5 years, 80% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.6 years | 4 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 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 Tonga 4 years compare
More education data for Uruguay
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.38 (2015)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.96 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25,390 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,520 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 57,513 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 54,922 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 337,808 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 287,527 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.35 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Uruguay?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Uruguay was 4 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 years in 2008.
- How does Uruguay rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Uruguay ranks 171st out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uruguay 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