Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in Switzerland
Switzerland: 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
5
in 1998
All-time low
4
in 2015
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland stood at 4. That is the lowest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland peaked at 5 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4, in 2015.
Switzerland ranks 171st 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 5 | — |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 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% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 4 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6, 67% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 4 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6, 67% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 171 Argentina 4 compare
- 171 Aruba 4 compare
- 171 Bolivia 4 compare
- 171 Brazil 4 compare
- 171 Bulgaria 4 compare
- 171 Cayman Islands 4 compare
- 171 Costa Rica 4 compare
- 171 Curacao 4 compare
- 171 Ghana 4 compare
- 171 Gibraltar 4 compare
- 171 Hungary 4 compare
- 171 Luxembourg 4 compare
- 171 Maldives 4 compare
- 171 Mexico 4 compare
- 171 Nauru 4 compare
- 171 Nepal 4 compare
- 171 Panama 4 compare
- 171 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 4 compare
- 171 Tonga 4 compare
- 171 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 compare
- 171 Uruguay 4 compare
More education data for Switzerland
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.87 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.86 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 68,266 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 5,583 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,990 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 89,549 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 636,381 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 556,945 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Switzerland was 4 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 2015.
- How does Switzerland rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Switzerland ranks 171st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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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