Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) in Mexico
Mexico: Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) was 4 years in 2019. ▼ Falling
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Mexico, 1998–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 4 years for official entrance age to compulsory education in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Mexico peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4 years, in 2001.
That places Mexico 170th out of 195 countries with data for 2019, putting it 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 Mexico, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 years | — |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 years | -33.3% |
| 2002 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 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% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 4 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Mexico'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 | 4.2 years | 4 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 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 Ghana 4 years compare
- 170 Hungary 4 years compare
- 170 Luxembourg 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 Mexico
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 868,550 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 96,349 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.11 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.99 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.19 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Mexico?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Mexico was 4 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 years in 2001.
- How does Mexico rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Mexico ranks 170th out of 195 countries with data for 2019.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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.