Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Ghana

Ghana: Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) was 4 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
171st
of 205 countries
All-time high
6
in 1998
All-time low
4
in 2007
Years of data
28
1998–2025

Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana, 1998–2025

02461998201120251998: 61999: 62000: 62001: 62002: 62003: 62004: 62005: 62006: 62007: 42008: 42009: 42010: 42011: 42012: 42013: 42014: 42015: 42016: 42017: 42018: 42019: 42020: 42021: 42022: 42023: 42024: 42025: 4

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana is 4, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana peaked at 6 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4, in 2007.

That places Ghana 171st out of 205 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 (Official Our World) in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana, 1998 to 2025.
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 4 -33.3%
2008 4 +0.0%
2009 4 +0.0%
2010 4 +0.0%
2011 4 +0.0%
2012 4 +0.0%
2013 4 +0.0%
2014 4 +0.0%
2015 4 +0.0%
2016 4 +0.0%
2017 4 +0.0%
2018 4 +0.0%
2019 4 +0.0%
2020 4 +0.0%
2021 4 +0.0%
2022 4 +0.0%
2023 4 +0.0%
2024 4 +0.0%
2025 4 +0.0%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 4 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6, 67% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 4 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 67% of the median. (44 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6 6 6 2
2000s 5.4 4 6 10
2010s 4 4 4 10
2020s 4 4 4 6

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 171 Argentina 4 compare
  2. 171 Aruba 4 compare
  3. 171 Bolivia 4 compare
  4. 171 Brazil 4 compare
  5. 171 Bulgaria 4 compare
  6. 171 Cayman Islands 4 compare
  7. 171 Costa Rica 4 compare
  8. 171 Curacao 4 compare
  9. 171 Gibraltar 4 compare
  10. 171 Hungary 4 compare
  11. 171 Luxembourg 4 compare
  12. 171 Maldives 4 compare
  13. 171 Mexico 4 compare
  14. 171 Nauru 4 compare
  15. 171 Nepal 4 compare
  16. 171 Panama 4 compare
  17. 171 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 4 compare
  18. 171 Switzerland 4 compare
  19. 171 Tonga 4 compare
  20. 171 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 compare
  21. 171 Uruguay 4 compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More education data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana?
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana was 4 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 4 in 2007.
How does Ghana rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
Ghana ranks 171st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
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 Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Official entrance age to compulsory education in Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/official-entrance-age-to-compulsory-education/ghana/

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About this data

Indicator
Official entrance age to compulsory education
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
205 places, 5,374 data points, 1975–2025
Last refreshed