Primary education, duration in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Primary education, duration was 4 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
186th
of 210 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1970
All-time low
4 years
in 2020
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Primary education, duration in United Arab Emirates, 1970–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, primary education, duration in United Arab Emirates stood at 4 years. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, duration in United Arab Emirates peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 4 years, in 2020.
That places United Arab Emirates 186th out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Primary education, duration in United Arab Emirates, 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 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 years | -16.7% |
| 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 | 4 years | -20.0% |
| 2021 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 years | +0.0% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 4 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 4 years is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (23 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 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.3 years | 5 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 186 Armenia 4 years compare
- 186 Austria 4 years compare
- 186 Azerbaijan 4 years compare
- 186 Belarus 4 years compare
- 186 Bulgaria 4 years compare
- 186 Croatia 4 years compare
- 186 Germany 4 years compare
- 186 Hungary 4 years compare
- 186 Kazakhstan 4 years compare
- 186 Kyrgyzstan 4 years compare
- 186 Lithuania 4 years compare
- 186 Moldova 4 years compare
- 186 Oman 4 years compare
- 186 Poland 4 years compare
- 186 Russia 4 years compare
- 186 Serbia 4 years compare
- 186 Slovakia 4 years compare
- 186 Somalia 4 years compare
- 186 Tajikistan 4 years compare
- 186 Turkey 4 years compare
- 186 Turkmenistan 4 years compare
- 186 Ukraine 4 years compare
- 186 Uzbekistan 4 years compare
- 186 Palestine 4 years compare
More education data for United Arab Emirates
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,178 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 305 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 119,159 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 125,307 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 894,302 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 586,477 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0534 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, duration in United Arab Emirates?
- Primary education, duration in United Arab Emirates was 4 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 years in 2020.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for primary education, duration?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 186th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary education, duration rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.