Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in years by country
Countries reporting
73
Highest
6
Lithuania
Lowest
2
Belgium
Median
4
Years covered
56
1970–2025
Data points
4,056
What the numbers show
Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in years is currently reported for 73 countries. The highest value is 6 in Lithuania; the lowest is 2 in Belgium.
The median across all reporting countries is 4, and the mean is 3.77.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3.
Over the past decade 4 countries rose and 2 fell. The largest increase was in Oman (up 100.0%), and the largest decrease in Netherlands (down 25.0%).
Theoretical duration of lower secondary education in years: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuania | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Oman | 6 | 2025 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 1 | Turkmenistan | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | Germany | 6 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Uzbekistan | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Kyrgyzstan | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Republic of Moldova | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Palestine, State of | 5 | 2025 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 5 | Russian Federation | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Slovakia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Tajikistan | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Ukraine | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Azerbaijan | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 5 | Belarus | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Armenia | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | North Macedonia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Jordan | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Andorra | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Kuwait | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Liechtenstein | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Monaco | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Türkiye | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Montenegro | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Poland | 4 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 17 | Romania | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Serbia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | France | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Djibouti | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Hungary | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Algeria | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Czechia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Albania | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | United Arab Emirates | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 17 | Austria | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 17 | Croatia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Sudan | 3 | 2025 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 38 | Yemen | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Portugal | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Qatar | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Cyprus | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Switzerland | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | San Marino | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Tunisia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Norway | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Bahrain | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Slovenia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | Sweden | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Syrian Arab Republic | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 38 | Bulgaria | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | Libya | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Ireland | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 3 | 2025 | up 50.0% | falling |
| 38 | Iraq | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Iceland | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Italy | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Greece | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Georgia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Lebanon | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | Denmark | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Finland | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Luxembourg | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Latvia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | Morocco | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | Estonia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Spain | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 38 | Egypt | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 38 | Malta | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 38 | Netherlands | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | rising |
| 73 | Belgium | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |