Theoretical duration of primary education (years) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
224
Highest
8 years
Guam
Lowest
4 years
Uzbekistan
Median
6 years
Years covered
56
1970–2025
Data points
12,152
What the numbers show
Theoretical duration of primary education (years) is currently reported for 224 countries. The highest value is 8 years in Guam; the lowest is 4 years in Uzbekistan.
The median across all reporting countries is 6 years, and the mean is 5.74 years.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Theoretical duration of primary education (years): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guam | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Ireland | 8 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Antigua and Barbuda | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Australia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Botswana | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Dominica | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Denmark | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Grenada | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Iceland | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Saint Lucia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Lesotho | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Mozambique | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Namibia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Norway | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 3 | Eswatini | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Trinidad and Tobago | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Tanzania | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Uganda | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | British Virgin Islands | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | South Africa | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Zambia | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Anguilla | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Montserrat | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Falkland Islands | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 3 | Norfolk Island | 7 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Aruba | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Afghanistan | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Angola | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Andorra | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Argentina | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | American Samoa | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Burundi | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Belgium | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Benin | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Burkina Faso | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Bahrain | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Bahamas | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Belize | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Bermuda | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Bolivia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Barbados | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Brunei | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Bhutan | 6 years | 2025 | down 14.3% | rising |
| 29 | Central African Republic | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Canada | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Switzerland | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Chile | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | China | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Cote d'Ivoire | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Cameroon | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Congo | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Cape Verde | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Costa Rica | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Cuba | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Curacao | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Cayman Islands | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Cyprus | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Dominican Republic | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Ecuador | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Egypt | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Spain | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Estonia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Ethiopia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Finland | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Fiji | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Micronesia (country) | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | United Kingdom | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Georgia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Ghana | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Gibraltar | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Guinea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Gambia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Guinea-Bissau | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Equatorial Guinea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Greece | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Guatemala | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Guyana | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Hong Kong | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Honduras | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Haiti | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Indonesia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Iran | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Iraq | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Israel | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Jamaica | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Jordan | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Japan | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Kenya | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Cambodia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Kiribati | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | South Korea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Lebanon | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Liberia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Libya | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Luxembourg | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Latvia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Macao | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Morocco | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Maldives | 6 years | 2025 | down 14.3% | rising |
| 29 | Mexico | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Marshall Islands | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Mali | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Malta | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Mauritania | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Mauritius | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Malawi | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Malaysia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Niger | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Nigeria | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Nicaragua | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Netherlands | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Nauru | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | New Zealand | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Panama | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Peru | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Philippines | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Palau | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Papua New Guinea | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Puerto Rico | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Portugal | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Paraguay | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Qatar | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Rwanda | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Saudi Arabia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Sudan | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Senegal | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Singapore | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Solomon Islands | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Sierra Leone | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | El Salvador | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | South Sudan | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Sao Tome and Principe | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Suriname | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Slovenia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 29 | Sweden | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Seychelles | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Syria | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Chad | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Togo | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Thailand | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | East Timor | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Tonga | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Tunisia | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Tuvalu | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 29 | Uruguay | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | United States | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Venezuela | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | United States Virgin Islands | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Vanuatu | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Samoa | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Yemen | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Cook Islands | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Niue | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Saint Helena | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 29 | Tokelau | 6 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Albania | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | Bangladesh | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | Brazil | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | Colombia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Comoros | 5 years | 2025 | down 16.7% | flat |
| 162 | Czechia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | Djibouti | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 162 | Algeria | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 162 | Eritrea | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 162 | France | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Gabon | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 162 | India | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Italy | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Kuwait | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | Laos | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 162 | Liechtenstein | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Sri Lanka | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Monaco | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Madagascar | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 162 | North Macedonia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | Myanmar | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Montenegro | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | Mongolia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | New Caledonia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Nepal | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Pakistan | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | North Korea | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | French Polynesia | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 162 | Romania | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 162 | San Marino | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Vietnam | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | French Guiana | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Guadeloupe | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Martinique | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Reunion | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Western Sahara | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 162 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 5 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | United Arab Emirates | 4 years | 2025 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 200 | Armenia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 200 | Austria | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Azerbaijan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 200 | Bulgaria | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Belarus | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 200 | Germany | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Croatia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Hungary | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Kazakhstan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 200 | Kyrgyzstan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 200 | Lithuania | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Moldova | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Oman | 4 years | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 200 | Poland | 4 years | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 200 | Palestine | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Russia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 200 | Somalia | 4 years | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 200 | Serbia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Slovakia | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Tajikistan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 200 | Turkmenistan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 200 | Turkey | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 200 | Ukraine | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 200 | Uzbekistan | 4 years | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
About this data
February 2026 Data Release