Official entrance age to pre-primary education by country
Official entry age at which children are expected to start pre-primary education according to national legislation or policies.
Countries reporting
223
Highest
6 years
Afghanistan
Lowest
2 years
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Median
3 years
Years covered
56
1970–2025
Data points
12,020
What the numbers show
Official entrance age to pre-primary education is currently reported for 223 countries. The highest value is 6 years in Afghanistan; the lowest is 2 years in Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
The median across all reporting countries is 3 years, and the mean is 3.29 years.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3.
Over the past decade 6 countries rose and 8 fell. The largest increase was in Maldives (up 33.3%), and the largest decrease in Angola (down 40.0%).
Official entrance age to pre-primary education (Official UNESCO): 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 | Guam | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Indonesia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Iran | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Liechtenstein | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Marshall Islands | 5 years | 2025 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 3 | Namibia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 3 | Nigeria | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Philippines | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 3 | North Korea | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | United States Virgin Islands | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Aruba | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | United Arab Emirates | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Benin | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 14 | Bermuda | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Bolivia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Brazil | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Switzerland | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 14 | Cameroon | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Costa Rica | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Djibouti | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Egypt | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Eritrea | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 14 | Ethiopia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Ghana | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Guinea | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Equatorial Guinea | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 14 | Greece | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Guatemala | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 14 | Guyana | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Iraq | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Jordan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Kuwait | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Libya | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Morocco | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 14 | Maldives | 4 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | falling |
| 14 | Mali | 4 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | falling |
| 14 | Malaysia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Niger | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 14 | Nauru | 4 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 14 | Oman | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Panama | 4 years | 2025 | up 33.3% | falling |
| 14 | Palestine | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Sudan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | El Salvador | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Suriname | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Seychelles | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Tonga | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 14 | Vanuatu | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 14 | Zimbabwe | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 14 | Western Sahara | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Niue | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Falkland Islands | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 14 | Saint Helena | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 58 | Angola | 3 years | 2025 | down 40.0% | rising |
| 58 | Albania | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Andorra | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Argentina | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Armenia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | American Samoa | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Antigua and Barbuda | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Australia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Austria | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Azerbaijan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Burundi | 3 years | 2025 | down 40.0% | rising |
| 58 | Belgium | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Burkina Faso | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Bangladesh | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Bulgaria | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Bahrain | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Bahamas | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Belarus | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Belize | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Barbados | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Brunei | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Bhutan | 3 years | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 58 | Botswana | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Central African Republic | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Canada | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Chile | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | China | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Cote d'Ivoire | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Congo | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Colombia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Comoros | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Cape Verde | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Cuba | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Curacao | 3 years | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 58 | Cayman Islands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Cyprus | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 58 | Czechia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Germany | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Dominica | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Denmark | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Dominican Republic | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Ecuador | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Spain | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Estonia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Finland | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Fiji | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | France | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Micronesia (country) | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Gabon | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | United Kingdom | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Gibraltar | 3 years | 2025 | down 25.0% | rising |
| 58 | Gambia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Guinea-Bissau | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Grenada | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Hong Kong | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Honduras | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Croatia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Haiti | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Hungary | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | India | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Ireland | 3 years | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 58 | Iceland | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Israel | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 58 | Italy | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Jamaica | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Japan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Kazakhstan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Kenya | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Kyrgyzstan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Cambodia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Kiribati | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | South Korea | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Laos | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Lebanon | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Liberia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Saint Lucia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Sri Lanka | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Lesotho | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Lithuania | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Luxembourg | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Latvia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Macao | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Monaco | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Moldova | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Madagascar | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Mexico | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | North Macedonia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Malta | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Myanmar | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Montenegro | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Mozambique | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Mauritania | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Mauritius | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Malawi | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | New Caledonia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Nicaragua | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Netherlands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Norway | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Nepal | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | New Zealand | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Pakistan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Peru | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Palau | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Papua New Guinea | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Poland | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Puerto Rico | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 58 | Portugal | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Paraguay | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | French Polynesia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Qatar | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Romania | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Russia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Rwanda | 3 years | 2025 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 58 | Saudi Arabia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Senegal | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Singapore | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Solomon Islands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Sierra Leone | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | San Marino | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Somalia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Serbia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | South Sudan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Sao Tome and Principe | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Slovakia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Slovenia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Sweden | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Eswatini | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Syria | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Chad | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Togo | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Thailand | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Tajikistan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Turkmenistan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | East Timor | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Trinidad and Tobago | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Tunisia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Turkey | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Tuvalu | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Uganda | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Ukraine | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Uruguay | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | United States | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Uzbekistan | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Venezuela | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | British Virgin Islands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Vietnam | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Samoa | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Yemen | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | South Africa | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Zambia | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Anguilla | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Cook Islands | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 58 | Montserrat | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 58 | Tokelau | 3 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 217 | Georgia | 2 years | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 217 | Mongolia | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 217 | French Guiana | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 217 | Guadeloupe | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 217 | Martinique | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 217 | Reunion | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 217 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 2 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
About this data
Official entry age at which children are expected to start pre-primary education according to national legislation or policies.