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: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.
See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecuador | 15.00 | 2016 |
| 1 | Tonga | 15.00 | 2016 |
| 1 | Dominican Republic | 15.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Mexico | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Uruguay | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Brazil | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Peru | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Argentina | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Nauru | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Bolivia | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 4 | Venezuela | 14.00 | 2016 |
| 12 | Paraguay | 13.00 | 2016 |
| 12 | Chile | 13.00 | 2016 |
| 12 | Macedonia | 13.00 | 2016 |
| 12 | Israel | 13.00 | 2016 |
| 12 | Puerto Rico | 13.00 | 2016 |
| 12 | Philippines | 13.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Mongolia | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Netherlands | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Germany | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Grenada | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Pakistan | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Armenia | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Belgium | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Dominica | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Switzerland | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | United States | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Kenya | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Palau | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Cayman Islands | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Honduras | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Luxembourg | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | El Salvador | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Uzbekistan | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Italy | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Poland | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Turkey | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | The Bahamas | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 18 | Turkmenistan | 12.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Barbados | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Dem. People's Rep. Korea | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Russia | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Monaco | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Panama | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Ghana | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Malta | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Latvia | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Bulgaria | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Senegal | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | France | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Antigua and Barbuda | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Ukraine | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | United Kingdom | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Costa Rica | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 42 | Mauritius | 11.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Seychelles | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Azerbaijan | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Macao SAR, China | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Greenland | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Norway | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Algeria | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Finland | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Slovak Republic | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Canada | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Vietnam | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Kyrgyz Republic | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Guatemala | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Colombia | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Denmark | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Burkina Faso | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Cabo Verde | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Australia | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Ireland | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Iceland | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Chad | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Côte d'Ivoire | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Congo | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Jordan | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | San Marino | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | St. Lucia | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Andorra | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | New Zealand | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Togo | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Gabon | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Central African Republic | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Djibouti | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Spain | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 58 | Romania | 10.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Thailand | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Albania | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Austria | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Yemen | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Japan | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Korea | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Kuwait | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Timor-Leste | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Estonia | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Moldova | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | South Africa | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Saudi Arabia | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Morocco | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Cuba | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Georgia | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Liechtenstein | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Nigeria | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Bahrain | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Czech Republic | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Belarus | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Lebanon | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Lithuania | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | The Gambia | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Sri Lanka | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Qatar | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Montenegro | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Sweden | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Kazakhstan | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Indonesia | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Greece | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Egypt | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | China | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Afghanistan | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Mali | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Slovenia | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Cyprus | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Guinea-Bissau | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Portugal | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Sierra Leone | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Kiribati | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Libya | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Brunei | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Syrian Arab Republic | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Tajikistan | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 91 | Tunisia | 9.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Malawi | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Belize | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Serbia | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | India | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Ethiopia | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Croatia | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Sudan | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Eritrea | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Samoa | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Hungary | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Iran | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 138 | Tuvalu | 8.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Namibia | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Tanzania | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Lesotho | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Mozambique | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Zambia | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Uganda | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Swaziland | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Nicaragua | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 150 | Zimbabwe | 7.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Iraq | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Jamaica | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | São Tomé and Principe | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Guinea | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | United Arab Emirates | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Dem. Rep. Congo | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Benin | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Angola | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Malaysia | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Equatorial Guinea | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Comoros | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Rwanda | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Singapore | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Trinidad and Tobago | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Cameroon | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Mauritania | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Suriname | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Liberia | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Guyana | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 159 | Haiti | 6.00 | 2016 |
| 179 | Lao PDR | 5.00 | 2016 |
| 179 | Madagascar | 5.00 | 2016 |
| 179 | Myanmar | 5.00 | 2016 |
| 179 | Bangladesh | 5.00 | 2016 |
| 183 | New Caledonia | 0.00 | 1999 |
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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
General Comments: Aggregate data are based on World Bank estimates.
