Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Official entrance age to compulsory education was 6 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 205 countries
All-time high
7 years
in 1998
All-time low
6 years
in 2006
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe stood at 6 years. 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 Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 7 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 2006.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 21st out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe, 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 | 6 years | -14.3% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.6 years | 6 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
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More education data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 4,544 (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,458 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,769 (2016)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25,875 (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 37,172 (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.14 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1796 units per person (2017)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sao Tome and Principe was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 2006.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 21st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by 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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About this data
The official age for entering compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.