Official entrance age to pre-primary education (Official UNESCO) in Philippines
Philippines: Official entrance age to pre-primary education (Official UNESCO) 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 1998
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Philippines, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Philippines recorded 5 years for official entrance age to pre-primary education in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to pre-primary education in Philippines peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1998.
Philippines ranks 3rd of 223 countries on this measure, 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 (Official UNESCO) in Philippines, 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 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 5 years | -16.7% |
| 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% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 5 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3 years, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 5 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3 years, 1.7× the median. (36 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 | 5.8 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 Philippines
- 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 Namibia 5 years compare
- 3 Nigeria 5 years compare
- 3 North Korea 5 years compare
- 3 United States Virgin Islands 5 years compare
More education data for Philippines
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 495,843 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 201,568 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.06 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 983,812 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.87 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.06 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.8345 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1128 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to pre-primary education in Philippines?
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Philippines 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1998.
- How does Philippines rank for official entrance age to pre-primary education?
- Philippines ranks 3rd out of 223 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to pre-primary education rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines 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.