Compulsory education, duration (years) - Country Ranking
Definition: Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/)
See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venezuela | 17.00 | 2020 |
| 2 | Guatemala | 16.00 | 2020 |
| 3 | Ecuador | 15.00 | 2020 |
| 3 | Dominican Republic | 15.00 | 2020 |
| 3 | Israel | 15.00 | 2020 |
| 3 | Tonga | 15.00 | 2020 |
| 3 | El Salvador | 15.00 | 2020 |
| 8 | Peru | 14.00 | 2020 |
| 8 | Uruguay | 14.00 | 2020 |
| 8 | Bolivia | 14.00 | 2020 |
| 8 | Argentina | 14.00 | 2021 |
| 8 | Brazil | 14.00 | 2020 |
| 8 | Mexico | 14.00 | 2020 |
| 8 | Nauru | 14.00 | 2020 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 13.00 | 2021 |
| 15 | Philippines | 13.00 | 2020 |
| 15 | Costa Rica | 13.00 | 2021 |
| 15 | Germany | 13.00 | 2021 |
| 15 | Austria | 13.00 | 2021 |
| 15 | Hungary | 13.00 | 2021 |
| 15 | France | 13.00 | 2021 |
| 15 | North Macedonia | 13.00 | 2020 |
| 15 | Paraguay | 13.00 | 2020 |
| 15 | Puerto Rico | 13.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Dem. People's Rep. Korea | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Turkey | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Turkmenistan | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | Uzbekistan | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | Honduras | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | Dominica | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Italy | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Luxembourg | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | Moldova | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | The Bahamas | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Chile | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Cayman Islands | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | United States | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Egypt | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Belgium | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | Colombia | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Armenia | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | United Arab Emirates | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Palau | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Portugal | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | Pakistan | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Mongolia | 12.00 | 2021 |
| 25 | Kenya | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 25 | Grenada | 12.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Sri Lanka | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Mauritius | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Malta | 11.00 | 2021 |
| 51 | Russia | 11.00 | 2021 |
| 51 | Bulgaria | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Switzerland | 11.00 | 2021 |
| 51 | United Kingdom | 11.00 | 2021 |
| 51 | Barbados | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Ukraine | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Antigua and Barbuda | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Latvia | 11.00 | 2021 |
| 51 | Lithuania | 11.00 | 2021 |
| 51 | Ghana | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Senegal | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 51 | Monaco | 11.00 | 2021 |
| 51 | Panama | 11.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | New Zealand | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Poland | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Romania | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | San Marino | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Sweden | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Djibouti | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Spain | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Jordan | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Ireland | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Iceland | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | St. Lucia | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Lebanon | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Australia | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Andorra | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Burkina Faso | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Central African Republic | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Côte d'Ivoire | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Congo | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Cabo Verde | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Vietnam | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Seychelles | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Slovak Republic | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Chad | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Togo | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Finland | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Gabon | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Canada | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Greece | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Denmark | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Algeria | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Cyprus | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Azerbaijan | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Norway | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Oman | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Macao SAR, China | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 67 | Kyrgyz Republic | 10.00 | 2021 |
| 67 | Greenland | 10.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Kiribati | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Korea | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Kuwait | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Libya | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Mali | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Nepal | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Qatar | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Afghanistan | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Belarus | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | China | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Brunei | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Estonia | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | The Gambia | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Guinea-Bissau | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Tajikistan | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Timor-Leste | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Slovenia | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Sierra Leone | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Syrian Arab Republic | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Tunisia | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Cuba | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Czech Republic | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Bahrain | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Albania | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Lao PDR | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Liechtenstein | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Morocco | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Montenegro | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Mauritania | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Iran | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Indonesia | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Japan | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Kazakhstan | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Georgia | 9.00 | 2021 |
| 104 | Thailand | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Yemen | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | South Africa | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Saudi Arabia | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 104 | Nigeria | 9.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Sudan | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Serbia | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Samoa | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Tuvalu | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Ethiopia | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Eritrea | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Belize | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Malawi | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | Croatia | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 145 | India | 8.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Namibia | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Nicaragua | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Uganda | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Zimbabwe | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Eswatini | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Trinidad and Tobago | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Lesotho | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Zambia | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 155 | Tanzania | 7.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Suriname | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Liberia | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Malaysia | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | São Tomé and Principe | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Angola | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Cameroon | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Rwanda | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Singapore | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Iraq | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Jamaica | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Haiti | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Guyana | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Benin | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Dem. Rep. Congo | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Comoros | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Equatorial Guinea | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 164 | Guinea | 6.00 | 2020 |
| 181 | Bangladesh | 5.00 | 2020 |
| 181 | Madagascar | 5.00 | 2020 |
| 181 | Myanmar | 5.00 | 2020 |
| 184 | New Caledonia | 0.00 | 2020 |
More rankings: Africa | Asia | Central America & the Caribbean | Europe | Middle East | North America | Oceania | South America | World |
Other Notes: Data retrieved via API in March 2019. For detailed information on the observation level (e.g. National Estimation, UIS Estimation, or Category not applicable), please visit UIS.Stat (http://data.uis.unesco.org/).
Statistical Concept and Methodology: Data on education are collected by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics from official responses to its annual education survey. All the data are mapped to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to ensure the comparability of education programs at the international level. The current version was formally adopted by UNESCO Member States in 2011. Aggregate data are based on World Bank estimates. The reference years reflect the school year for which the data are presented. In some countries the school year spans two calendar years (for example, from September 2010 to June 2011); in these cases the reference year refers to the year in which the school year ended (2011 in the example).
Aggregation method: Median
Periodicity: Annual
