Official entrance age to upper secondary education in Germany
Germany: Official entrance age to upper secondary education was 16 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
16
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
2nd
of 73 countries
All-time high
16
in 1970
All-time low
16
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to upper secondary education in Germany, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to upper secondary education in Germany stood at 16. 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 upper secondary education in Germany peaked at 16 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 16, in 1970.
Germany ranks 2nd of 73 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Official entrance age to upper secondary education in Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 16 | — |
| 1971 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 16 | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 16 is above the median for high income countries, which is 15, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Germany's 16 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| 1980s | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| 1990s | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| 2000s | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16 | 16 | 16 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 1 Lithuania 17 compare
- 2 Moldova 16 compare
- 2 Sweden 16 compare
- 2 Andorra 16 compare
- 2 Ireland 16 compare
- 2 Turkmenistan 16 compare
- 2 Estonia 16 compare
- 2 Jordan 16 compare
- 2 Oman 16 compare
- 2 Denmark 16 compare
- 2 Finland 16 compare
- 2 Latvia 16 compare
- 2 Kyrgyzstan 16 compare
- 2 Tajikistan 16 compare
- 2 Norway 16 compare
- 2 Uzbekistan 16 compare
- 2 Iceland 16 compare
- 2 Liechtenstein 16 compare
- 2 Russia 16 compare
More education data for Germany
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.48 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.73 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to upper secondary education in Germany?
- Official entrance age to upper secondary education in Germany was 16 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest official entrance age to upper secondary education recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 16 in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to upper secondary education recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 16 in 1970.
- How does Germany rank for official entrance age to upper secondary education?
- Germany ranks 2nd out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to upper secondary education rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Official entrance age to upper secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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