Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) in Ghana
Ghana: Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) was 4 years in 2019. ▼ Falling
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana, 1998–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 4 years for official entrance age to compulsory education in 2019. That is the lowest 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 Ghana peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4 years, in 2007.
Ghana ranks 170th of 195 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) in Ghana, 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 | 4 years | -33.3% |
| 2008 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 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% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 4 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 4 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.4 years | 4 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 170 Argentina 4 years compare
- 170 Aruba 4 years compare
- 170 Bolivia 4 years compare
- 170 Brazil 4 years compare
- 170 Cayman Islands 4 years compare
- 170 Costa Rica 4 years compare
- 170 Curacao 4 years compare
- 170 Hungary 4 years compare
- 170 Luxembourg 4 years compare
- 170 Mexico 4 years compare
- 170 Nauru 4 years compare
- 170 Panama 4 years compare
- 170 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 4 years compare
- 170 Tonga 4 years compare
- 170 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 years compare
- 170 Uruguay 4 years compare
More education data for Ghana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 174,414 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 39,902 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 949,095 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 913,117 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.6567 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1448 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana was 4 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 years in 2007.
- How does Ghana rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Ghana ranks 170th out of 195 countries with data for 2019.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.