Theoretical duration of secondary education in United States
United States: Theoretical duration of secondary education was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
96th
of 215 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1970
All-time low
6 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Theoretical duration of secondary education in United States, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
United States recorded 6 years for theoretical duration of secondary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of secondary education in United States peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1970.
That places United States 96th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Theoretical duration of secondary education in United States, 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 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +0.0% |
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 | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 96 Afghanistan 6 years compare
- 96 Angola 6 years compare
- 96 Andorra 6 years compare
- 96 Argentina 6 years compare
- 96 American Samoa 6 years compare
- 96 Australia 6 years compare
- 96 Belgium 6 years compare
- 96 Bahrain 6 years compare
- 96 Bahamas 6 years compare
- 96 Belize 6 years compare
- 96 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 6 years compare
- 96 Bhutan 6 years compare
- 96 Canada 6 years compare
- 96 Chile 6 years compare
- 96 China 6 years compare
- 96 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6 years compare
- 96 Colombia 6 years compare
- 96 Cape Verde 6 years compare
- 96 Cuba 6 years compare
- 96 Curacao 6 years compare
- 96 Cayman Islands 6 years compare
- 96 Cyprus 6 years compare
- 96 Denmark 6 years compare
- 96 Dominican Republic 6 years compare
- 96 Ecuador 6 years compare
- 96 Egypt 6 years compare
- 96 Western Sahara 6 years compare
- 96 Spain 6 years compare
- 96 Estonia 6 years compare
- 96 Ethiopia 6 years compare
- 96 Finland 6 years compare
- 96 Micronesia (country) 6 years compare
- 96 Georgia 6 years compare
- 96 Ghana 6 years compare
- 96 Gambia 6 years compare
- 96 Guinea-Bissau 6 years compare
- 96 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
- 96 Greece 6 years compare
- 96 Guatemala 6 years compare
- 96 Hong Kong 6 years compare
- 96 Indonesia 6 years compare
- 96 Iran 6 years compare
- 96 Iraq 6 years compare
- 96 Israel 6 years compare
- 96 Jordan 6 years compare
- 96 Japan 6 years compare
- 96 Kenya 6 years compare
- 96 Cambodia 6 years compare
- 96 Republic of Korea 6 years compare
- 96 Lebanon 6 years compare
- 96 Liberia 6 years compare
- 96 Libya 6 years compare
- 96 Latvia 6 years compare
- 96 Macao 6 years compare
- 96 Morocco 6 years compare
- 96 Maldives 6 years compare
- 96 Mexico 6 years compare
- 96 Marshall Islands 6 years compare
- 96 Mali 6 years compare
- 96 Myanmar 6 years compare
- 96 Malawi 6 years compare
- 96 Malaysia 6 years compare
- 96 Nigeria 6 years compare
- 96 Netherlands 6 years compare
- 96 Norway 6 years compare
- 96 Naoero 6 years compare
- 96 Panama 6 years compare
- 96 Philippines 6 years compare
- 96 Palau 6 years compare
- 96 Papua New Guinea 6 years compare
- 96 Puerto Rico 6 years compare
- 96 North Korea 6 years compare
- 96 Portugal 6 years compare
- 96 Paraguay 6 years compare
- 96 Qatar 6 years compare
- 96 Rwanda 6 years compare
- 96 Saudi Arabia 6 years compare
- 96 Sudan 6 years compare
- 96 El Salvador 6 years compare
- 96 South Sudan 6 years compare
- 96 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years compare
- 96 Sweden 6 years compare
- 96 Syria 6 years compare
- 96 Thailand 6 years compare
- 96 Timor-Leste 6 years compare
- 96 Tanzania, United Republic of 6 years compare
- 96 Uganda 6 years compare
- 96 Uruguay 6 years compare
- 96 British Virgin Islands 6 years compare
- 96 United States Virgin Islands 6 years compare
- 96 Yemen 6 years compare
- 96 Zimbabwe 6 years compare
More education data for United States
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.06 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.56 million (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 223,288 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 10.46 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 0.1542 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 7.59 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.34 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of secondary education in United States?
- Theoretical duration of secondary education in United States was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of secondary education recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of secondary education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- How does United States rank for theoretical duration of secondary education?
- United States ranks 96th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of secondary education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Theoretical duration of secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release