Official entrance age to primary education (years) in North Korea
North Korea: Official entrance age to primary education (years) was 7 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
7 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 224 countries
All-time high
7 years
in 1998
All-time low
6 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to primary education in North Korea, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 7 years for official entrance age to primary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to primary education in North Korea peaked at 7 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1970.
North Korea ranks 1st of 224 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to primary education (years) in North Korea, 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 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1999 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 years | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 7 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 6 years, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 7 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6 years, 1.2× 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 | 6.2 years | 6 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 1 Afghanistan 7 years compare
- 1 Bulgaria 7 years compare
- 1 Estonia 7 years compare
- 1 Ethiopia 7 years compare
- 1 Finland 7 years compare
- 1 Guinea 7 years compare
- 1 Gambia 7 years compare
- 1 Equatorial Guinea 7 years compare
- 1 Guatemala 7 years compare
- 1 Croatia 7 years compare
- 1 Hungary 7 years compare
- 1 Indonesia 7 years compare
- 1 Kyrgyzstan 7 years compare
- 1 Liechtenstein 7 years compare
- 1 Lithuania 7 years compare
- 1 Latvia 7 years compare
- 1 Moldova 7 years compare
- 1 Mali 7 years compare
- 1 Namibia 7 years compare
- 1 Niger 7 years compare
- 1 Papua New Guinea 7 years compare
- 1 Poland 7 years compare
- 1 Russia 7 years compare
- 1 El Salvador 7 years compare
- 1 Serbia 7 years compare
- 1 Sweden 7 years compare
- 1 Tajikistan 7 years compare
- 1 Tanzania 7 years compare
- 1 Uzbekistan 7 years compare
- 1 South Africa 7 years compare
- 1 Zambia 7 years compare
More education data for North Korea
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to primary education in North Korea?
- Official entrance age to primary education in North Korea was 7 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to primary education recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to primary education recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- How does North Korea rank for official entrance age to primary education?
- North Korea ranks 1st out of 224 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to primary education rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Official entrance age to primary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release