Official entrance age to early childhood education (years) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
165
Highest
6 years
Afghanistan
Lowest
0 years
Montserrat
Median
3 years
Years covered
56
1970–2025
Data points
4,987
What the numbers show
Official entrance age to early childhood education (years) is currently reported for 165 countries. The highest value is 6 years in Afghanistan; the lowest is 0 years in Montserrat.
The median across all reporting countries is 3 years, and the mean is 2.47 years.
Over the past decade 2 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Mali (up 33.3%), and the largest decrease in Bahrain (down 100.0%).
Official entrance age to early childhood education (years) (entrance): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afghanistan | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Tanzania | 6 years | 2025 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 3 | Algeria | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Iran | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Namibia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Philippines | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Benin | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Bermuda | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Bolivia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Switzerland | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 7 | Cameroon | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Djibouti | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Egypt | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Eritrea | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 7 | Ethiopia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Guinea | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Guyana | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Iraq | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Jordan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Kuwait | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Libya | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Mali | 4 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 7 | Malaysia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Niger | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Palestine | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Sudan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Suriname | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Seychelles | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 7 | Tonga | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 7 | Vanuatu | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 7 | Zimbabwe | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Angola | 3 years | 2025 | down 40.0% | flat |
| 33 | Andorra | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Armenia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Burundi | 3 years | 2025 | down 40.0% | flat |
| 33 | Burkina Faso | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | Bangladesh | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Bulgaria | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Bahamas | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Belize | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Brunei | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Bhutan | 3 years | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 33 | Botswana | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Central African Republic | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | China | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Cote d'Ivoire | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Congo | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Comoros | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Cape Verde | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Czechia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Dominican Republic | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Ecuador | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | Fiji | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | France | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Micronesia (country) | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Gabon | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Guinea-Bissau | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | Hong Kong | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Honduras | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | India | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Italy | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Japan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 33 | Kenya | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Kiribati | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Lebanon | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Liberia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Sri Lanka | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | Lesotho | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Macao | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Monaco | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Madagascar | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Malta | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Mozambique | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Malawi | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Netherlands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | Nepal | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Nauru | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Pakistan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 33 | Palau | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Papua New Guinea | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | Poland | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | North Korea | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Rwanda | 3 years | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 33 | Senegal | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Solomon Islands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Somalia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | South Sudan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Sao Tome and Principe | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 33 | Slovakia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Eswatini | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Syria | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Chad | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Togo | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Tajikistan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | East Timor | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 33 | Trinidad and Tobago | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Tunisia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Tuvalu | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Uganda | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Uzbekistan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Samoa | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Zambia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Anguilla | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Cook Islands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 33 | Tokelau | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 109 | Belarus | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 109 | Gambia | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 109 | Maldives | 2 years | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 109 | Marshall Islands | 2 years | 2025 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 109 | Mongolia | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 109 | Mauritius | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 109 | Saudi Arabia | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Aruba | 1 years | 2025 | down 75.0% | falling |
| 116 | Albania | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Azerbaijan | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Cayman Islands | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Finland | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Ghana | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Gibraltar | 1 years | 2025 | down 75.0% | falling |
| 116 | Equatorial Guinea | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | volatile |
| 116 | Kazakhstan | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Kyrgyzstan | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 116 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Saint Lucia | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Latvia | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Morocco | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Moldova | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | North Macedonia | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Montenegro | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Nigeria | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Paraguay | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Russia | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Sierra Leone | 1 years | 2025 | down 66.7% | falling |
| 116 | Serbia | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 116 | Slovenia | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Sweden | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Thailand | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Turkmenistan | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Ukraine | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Venezuela | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 116 | Niue | 1 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 145 | United Arab Emirates | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Bahrain | 0 years | 2025 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 145 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 years | 2025 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 145 | Canada | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Colombia | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Curacao | 0 years | 2025 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 145 | Cyprus | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Dominica | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Georgia | 0 years | 2025 | down 100.0% | falling |
| 145 | Grenada | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Ireland | 0 years | 2025 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 145 | Cambodia | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Liechtenstein | 0 years | 2025 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 145 | Lithuania | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Mexico | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | New Zealand | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Qatar | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Romania | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | San Marino | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | British Virgin Islands | 0 years | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 145 | Montserrat | 0 years | 2025 | down 100.0% | volatile |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release