Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) in Gambia
Gambia: Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) was 7 years in 2019. ▬ Flat
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Gambia, 1998–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2019, official entrance age to compulsory education in Gambia stood at 7 years. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Gambia peaked at 7 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 1998.
That places Gambia 1st out of 195 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 years | — |
| 1999 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 7 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 6 years, 1.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 7 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6 years, 1.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 1 Afghanistan 7 years compare
- 1 Croatia 7 years compare
- 1 Equatorial Guinea 7 years compare
- 1 Estonia 7 years compare
- 1 Ethiopia 7 years compare
- 1 Faroe Islands 7 years compare
- 1 Guinea 7 years compare
- 1 Indonesia 7 years compare
- 1 Lithuania 7 years compare
- 1 Mali 7 years compare
- 1 Moldova 7 years compare
- 1 Namibia 7 years compare
- 1 Romania 7 years compare
- 1 Russia 7 years compare
- 1 Rwanda 7 years compare
- 1 Serbia 7 years compare
- 1 South Africa 7 years compare
- 1 Suriname 7 years compare
- 1 Tajikistan 7 years compare
- 1 Tanzania 7 years compare
- 1 Uzbekistan 7 years compare
- 1 Zambia 7 years compare
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Gambia?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Gambia was 7 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- How does Gambia rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Gambia ranks 1st out of 195 countries with data for 2019.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Gambia 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
Official age when students should enter compulsory education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.