Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Sweden
Sweden: Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 205 countries
All-time high
7
in 1998
All-time low
6
in 2019
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden is 6, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden peaked at 7 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6, in 2019.
Sweden ranks 21st of 205 countries on this measure, 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 (Official Our World) in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 | — |
| 1999 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 6 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 6 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.9 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 21 Albania 6 compare
- 21 Algeria 6 compare
- 21 Andorra 6 compare
- 21 Armenia 6 compare
- 21 Australia 6 compare
- 21 Azerbaijan 6 compare
- 21 Bahrain 6 compare
- 21 Bangladesh 6 compare
- 21 Belarus 6 compare
- 21 Benin 6 compare
- 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 21 Brunei 6 compare
- 21 Burkina Faso 6 compare
- 21 Cameroon 6 compare
- 21 Canada 6 compare
- 21 Cape Verde 6 compare
- 21 Central African Republic 6 compare
- 21 Chad 6 compare
- 21 Chile 6 compare
- 21 China 6 compare
- 21 Comoros 6 compare
- 21 Congo 6 compare
- 21 Cote d'Ivoire 6 compare
- 21 Cuba 6 compare
- 21 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 compare
- 21 Denmark 6 compare
- 21 Djibouti 6 compare
- 21 East Timor 6 compare
- 21 Egypt 6 compare
- 21 Eritrea 6 compare
- 21 Eswatini 6 compare
- 21 Finland 6 compare
- 21 Gabon 6 compare
- 21 Georgia 6 compare
- 21 Germany 6 compare
- 21 Guinea-Bissau 6 compare
- 21 Guyana 6 compare
- 21 Haiti 6 compare
- 21 Hong Kong 6 compare
- 21 Iceland 6 compare
- 21 India 6 compare
- 21 Iran 6 compare
- 21 Iraq 6 compare
- 21 Ireland 6 compare
- 21 Italy 6 compare
- 21 Jamaica 6 compare
- 21 Japan 6 compare
- 21 Jordan 6 compare
- 21 Kazakhstan 6 compare
- 21 Kenya 6 compare
- 21 Kiribati 6 compare
- 21 Kuwait 6 compare
- 21 Kyrgyzstan 6 compare
- 21 Laos 6 compare
- 21 Lebanon 6 compare
- 21 Lesotho 6 compare
- 21 Liberia 6 compare
- 21 Libya 6 compare
- 21 Lithuania 6 compare
- 21 Madagascar 6 compare
- 21 Malawi 6 compare
- 21 Malaysia 6 compare
- 21 Mauritania 6 compare
- 21 Micronesia (country) 6 compare
- 21 Moldova 6 compare
- 21 Monaco 6 compare
- 21 Mongolia 6 compare
- 21 Montenegro 6 compare
- 21 Morocco 6 compare
- 21 New Zealand 6 compare
- 21 Nigeria 6 compare
- 21 North Korea 6 compare
- 21 North Macedonia 6 compare
- 21 Norway 6 compare
- 21 Oman 6 compare
- 21 Palau 6 compare
- 21 Palestine 6 compare
- 21 Poland 6 compare
- 21 Portugal 6 compare
- 21 Qatar 6 compare
- 21 Rwanda 6 compare
- 21 San Marino 6 compare
- 21 Sao Tome and Principe 6 compare
- 21 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
- 21 Senegal 6 compare
- 21 Seychelles 6 compare
- 21 Sierra Leone 6 compare
- 21 Singapore 6 compare
- 21 Slovenia 6 compare
- 21 Somalia 6 compare
- 21 South Korea 6 compare
- 21 South Sudan 6 compare
- 21 Spain 6 compare
- 21 Sudan 6 compare
- 21 Syria 6 compare
- 21 Thailand 6 compare
- 21 Togo 6 compare
- 21 Tunisia 6 compare
- 21 Turkey 6 compare
- 21 Turkmenistan 6 compare
- 21 Tuvalu 6 compare
- 21 Uganda 6 compare
- 21 Ukraine 6 compare
- 21 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 21 United States 6 compare
- 21 Yemen 6 compare
- 21 Zimbabwe 6 compare
More education data for Sweden
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sweden was 6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 2019.
- How does Sweden rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Sweden ranks 21st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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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