Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in years by country
Countries reporting
73
Highest
5
Italy
Lowest
2
Lithuania
Median
3
Years covered
56
1970–2025
Data points
4,056
What the numbers show
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in years is currently reported for 73 countries. The highest value is 5 in Italy; the lowest is 2 in Lithuania.
The median across all reporting countries is 3, and the mean is 3.18.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 4 countries rose and 3 fell. The largest increase was in Republic of Moldova (up 50.0%), and the largest decrease in Uzbekistan (down 33.3%).
Theoretical duration of upper secondary education in years: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 1 | Bulgaria | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 1 | San Marino | 5 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Romania | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | North Macedonia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Iceland | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Malta | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 4 | Montenegro | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Hungary | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Croatia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Poland | 4 | 2025 | up 33.3% | falling |
| 4 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Serbia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Czechia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates | 4 | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 4 | Türkiye | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 4 | Austria | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Tunisia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Belgium | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 4 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Switzerland | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Slovakia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 4 | Slovenia | 4 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Yemen | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Latvia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Morocco | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Monaco | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Republic of Moldova | 3 | 2025 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 25 | Sudan | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Portugal | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 25 | Kuwait | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 25 | Netherlands | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Syrian Arab Republic | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Qatar | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Norway | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Sweden | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Palestine, State of | 3 | 2025 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 25 | Georgia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 25 | Bahrain | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Cyprus | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Germany | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Djibouti | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Denmark | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Algeria | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Egypt | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Spain | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 25 | Estonia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Finland | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | France | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Greece | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 3 | 2025 | down 25.0% | flat |
| 25 | Iraq | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Armenia | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | rising |
| 25 | Albania | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 25 | Lebanon | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Libya | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 25 | Liechtenstein | 3 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Turkmenistan | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Andorra | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |
| 60 | Azerbaijan | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Tajikistan | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Ukraine | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | rising |
| 60 | Belarus | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Russian Federation | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Oman | 2 | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 60 | Ireland | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Jordan | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Kazakhstan | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | flat |
| 60 | Lithuania | 2 | 2025 | unchanged | falling |