Puerto Rico (US): Compulsory education, duration (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Puerto Rico (US)'s compulsory education, duration (years) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 13 to 13).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was −0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.85 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 3 in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 3 in 2009. 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

In 2025, Puerto Rico (US) had the 17th highest value of the 196 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 Puerto Rico (US) in the 2025 ranking

• North Macedonia — 28th of 196: 13
• Paraguay — 29th of 196: 13
• Philippines — 30th of 196: 13
• Turks and Caicos Islands — 32nd of 196: 13
• Armenia — 33rd of 196: 12
• Bahamas, The — 34th of 196: 12

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 29 values

Compulsory education, duration (years) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 11 (2025)
• Argentina — 14 (2025)
• Aruba — 13 (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 12 (2025)
• Barbados — 11 (2025)
• Belize — 8 (2025)
• Bolivia — 14 (2025)
• Brazil — 14 (2025)
• British Virgin Islands — 12 (2025)
• Cayman Islands — 12 (2025)
• Chile

More education data for Puerto Rico (US)

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 229,383 (2016)
• Secondary education, vocational pupils — 6,618 (2016)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.69% (2016)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.27% (2024)
• Primary education, pupils — 144,542 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Puerto Rico (US)'s compulsory education, duration (years)?

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

How has it changed since 1997?

It is down 7.14% from 14 in 1997 (0.26% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 16 in 2001 and the lowest 13 in 1998.

How does Puerto Rico (US) rank?

17th highest of 196 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in compulsory education, duration (years) unusual for Puerto Rico (US)?

In 2025, Puerto Rico (US)'s compulsory education, duration (years) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 13 to 13). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2024), the average change was −0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.85 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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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