Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Namibia
Namibia: Official entrance age to pre-primary education was 5 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 223 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1970
All-time low
5 years
in 1997
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Namibia, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to pre-primary education in Namibia is 5 years, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to pre-primary education in Namibia peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1997.
That places Namibia 3rd out of 223 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Namibia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6 years | — |
| 1971 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5 years | -16.7% |
| 1998 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 years | +0.0% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 5 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3 years, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 5 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3 years, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.7 years | 5 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
- 1 Afghanistan 6 years compare
- 1 Tanzania 6 years compare
- 3 Algeria 5 years compare
- 3 Guam 5 years compare
- 3 Indonesia 5 years compare
- 3 Iran 5 years compare
- 3 Liechtenstein 5 years compare
- 3 Marshall Islands 5 years compare
- 3 Nigeria 5 years compare
- 3 North Korea 5 years compare
- 3 Philippines 5 years compare
- 3 United States Virgin Islands 5 years compare
More education data for Namibia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 10,653 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 90,003 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 26,964 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 27,746 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 236,050 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 590,029 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1947 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to pre-primary education in Namibia?
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Namibia was 5 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1997.
- How does Namibia rank for official entrance age to pre-primary education?
- Namibia ranks 3rd out of 223 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to pre-primary education rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to pre-primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Official entry age at which children are expected to start pre-primary education according to national legislation or policies.