Least developed countries: UN classification: Compulsory education, duration (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Least developed countries: UN classification's compulsory education, duration (years) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 8 to 8).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2024), the average change was +0.08 and a typical year strayed about 0.31 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1 in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.5 in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.

Limitations: The presence of national legislation does not guarantee that countries will implement it effectively, nor does it ensure that parents will take advantage of the provisions available for their children.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 28 values

Compulsory education, duration (years) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 9 (2025)
• Algeria — 10 (2025)
• Bahrain — 9 (2025)
• Djibouti — 10 (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 12 (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 9 (2025)
• Iraq — 6 (2025)
• Israel — 15 (2025)
• Jordan — 10 (2025)
• Kuwait — 9 (2025)
• Lebanon

More education data for Least developed countries: UN classification

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.79 (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 171.01 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 100.68% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 99.34% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 101.99% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Least developed countries: UN classification's compulsory education, duration (years)?

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

How has it changed since 1998?

It is up 33.33% from 6 in 1998 (1.07% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 8 in 2008 and the lowest 6 in 1998.

Is the latest change in compulsory education, duration (years) unusual for Least developed countries: UN classification?

In 2025, Least developed countries: UN classification's compulsory education, duration (years) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 8 to 8). Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2024), the average change was +0.08 and a typical year strayed about 0.31 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.COM.DURS, 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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