Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Official entrance age to compulsory education was 5 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
5
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
129th
of 200 countries
All-time high
5
in 1998
All-time low
5
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 5 for official entrance age to compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom peaked at 5 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 5, in 1998.
United Kingdom ranks 129th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom, 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 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 129 Angola 5 compare
- 129 Antigua and Barbuda 5 compare
- 129 Austria 5 compare
- 129 Bahamas 5 compare
- 129 Barbados 5 compare
- 129 Belgium 5 compare
- 129 Belize 5 compare
- 129 Bermuda 5 compare
- 129 British Virgin Islands 5 compare
- 129 Colombia 5 compare
- 129 Cyprus 5 compare
- 129 Czechia 5 compare
- 129 Dominica 5 compare
- 129 Greece 5 compare
- 129 Grenada 5 compare
- 129 Honduras 5 compare
- 129 Latvia 5 compare
- 129 Macao 5 compare
- 129 Malta 5 compare
- 129 Marshall Islands 5 compare
- 129 Mauritius 5 compare
- 129 Myanmar 5 compare
- 129 Netherlands 5 compare
- 129 Nicaragua 5 compare
- 129 Pakistan 5 compare
- 129 Paraguay 5 compare
- 129 Philippines 5 compare
- 129 Puerto Rico 5 compare
- 129 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 compare
- 129 Saint Lucia 5 compare
- 129 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 compare
- 129 Samoa 5 compare
- 129 Slovakia 5 compare
- 129 Sri Lanka 5 compare
- 129 Trinidad and Tobago 5 compare
- 129 Vietnam 5 compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in United Kingdom was 5 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 in 1998.
- How does United Kingdom rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- United Kingdom ranks 129th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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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