Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in France
France: Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) was 3 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Official entrance age to compulsory education in France, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in France stood at 3. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in France peaked at 6 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3, in 2020.
France ranks 193rd of 205 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 (Official Our World) in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | — |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | -50.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 3 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6, 50% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- France's 3 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 50% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in France?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in France was 3 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 2020.
- How does France rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- France ranks 193rd out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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