Germany: Primary school starting age (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Germany had the 33rd highest value of the 210 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Germany in the 2025 ranking

• French Polynesia — 83rd of 210: 6
• Gabon — 84th of 210: 6
• Georgia — 85th of 210: 6
• Ghana — 87th of 210: 6
• Greece — 88th of 210: 6
• Guam — 89th of 210: 6

What this measures

Primary school starting age is the age at which students would enter primary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.

Limitations: The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.

All 56 values

Primary school starting age (years) in nearby economies

• Albania — 6 (2025)
• Andorra — 6 (2025)
• Armenia — 6 (2025)
• Austria — 6 (2025)
• Azerbaijan — 6 (2025)
• Belarus — 6 (2025)
• Belgium — 6 (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 6 (2025)
• Bulgaria — 7 (2025)
• Croatia — 7 (2025)
• Cyprus — 6 (2025)

More education data for Germany

• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 9 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.31 million (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 6.97 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 283,851 (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 618,670 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 5.13% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 87.33% (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers, female — 395,262 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Germany's primary school starting age (years)?

6 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is unchanged at from 6 in 1970. The highest value was 6 in 1970 and the lowest 6 in 1970.

How does Germany rank?

33rd highest of 210 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.AGES, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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