Official entrance age to primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Official entrance age to primary education was 5 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Official entrance age to primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 5 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest 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 primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 5 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1970.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 192nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Official entrance age to primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5 years | — |
| 1971 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 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% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 192 Antigua and Barbuda 5 years compare
- 192 Australia 5 years compare
- 192 Bahamas 5 years compare
- 192 Belize 5 years compare
- 192 Bermuda 5 years compare
- 192 Barbados 5 years compare
- 192 Cayman Islands 5 years compare
- 192 Dominica 5 years compare
- 192 Falkland Islands, Malvinas 5 years compare
- 192 Gibraltar 5 years compare
- 192 Grenada 5 years compare
- 192 Ireland 5 years compare
- 192 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 years compare
- 192 Saint Lucia 5 years compare
- 192 Sri Lanka 5 years compare
- 192 Malta 5 years compare
- 192 Myanmar 5 years compare
- 192 Mauritius 5 years compare
- 192 Norfolk Island 5 years compare
- 192 Nepal 5 years compare
- 192 New Zealand 5 years compare
- 192 Pakistan 5 years compare
- 192 Trinidad and Tobago 5 years compare
- 192 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 years compare
- 192 British Virgin Islands 5 years compare
- 192 Samoa 5 years compare
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.37 million (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Official entrance age to primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 5 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to primary education recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to primary education recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for official entrance age to primary education?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 192nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to primary education rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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