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Education > Duration of compulsory education: Countries Compared

Edria Murray, Staff editor

Author: Edria Murray, Staff editor

Education is one of the criteria for determining the United Nations <a href=/graph/eco_hum_dev_ind>HDI (Human Development Index)</a></p>

<p>For most contries the current number of years of compulsory education is higher than the <a href=/graph/edu_ave_yea_of_sch_of_adu&int=-1>average years of schooling for adults</a>. This is primarily due to increases in the duration of compulsory education.</p>
<p>This difference is most pronounced in developing nations where compulsory schooling has only recently been introduced, such as Mali, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau. Despite the move towards compulsory education, many developing nations still have a low proportion of primary school age children, especially <a href=/graph/edu_pri_sch_gir_out_of_sch>girls</a>, who are <a href=/graph/edu_sch_enr_pri_net&int=-1>enrolled</a> at any school.
DEFINITION: Duration of compulsory education is the number of grades (or years) that a child must legally be enrolled in school.

CONTENTS

# COUNTRY AMOUNT DATE GRAPH
=1 Dominica 13 years 2000
=1 Netherlands 13 years 2000
=1 Saint Lucia 13 years 2000
=1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 13 years 2000
=1 Belgium 13 years 2000
=1 Germany 13 years 2000
=7 Barbados 12 years 2000
=7 United Kingdom 12 years 2000
=7 The Bahamas 12 years 2000
=7 New Zealand 12 years 2000
=7 Bermuda 12 years 2000
=7 United States 12 years 2000
=7 Brunei 12 years 2000
=7 Grenada 12 years 2000
=7 Antigua and Barbuda 12 years 2000
Group of 7 countries (G7) average (profile) 11.14 years 2000
=16 Canada 11 years 2000
=16 France 11 years 2000
=16 Norway 11 years 2000
=16 Australia 11 years 2000
=16 Moldova 11 years 2000
=16 Guatemala 11 years 2000
=16 Spain 11 years 2000
=16 Gabon 11 years 2000
=16 Azerbaijan 11 years 2000
=16 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11 years 2000
=16 Peru 11 years 2000
=16 Armenia 11 years 2000
=16 Bhutan 11 years 2000
=16 Malta 11 years 2000
=16 Iceland 11 years 2000
=16 Kazakhstan 11 years 2000
=16 Tunisia 11 years 2000
=16 Israel 11 years 1997
High income OECD countries average (profile) 10.34 years 2000
Heavily indebted countries average (profile) 10.13 years 2000
Eurozone average (profile) 10.11 years 2000
=34 Burkina Faso 10 years 2000
=34 Liberia 10 years 2000
=34 Monaco 10 years 2000
=34 Slovakia 10 years 2000
=34 Finland 10 years 2000
=34 Costa Rica 10 years 2000
=34 Luxembourg 10 years 2000
=34 Ireland 10 years 2000
=34 Ecuador 10 years 2000
=34 Netherlands Antilles 10 years 2000
=34 Denmark 10 years 2000
=34 Lebanon 10 years 2000
=34 Fiji 10 years 2000
=34 Jordan 10 years 2000
=34 Hungary 10 years 2000
=34 Mexico 10 years 2000
=34 Botswana 10 years 2000
=34 Samoa 10 years 2000
=34 Macau 10 years 2000
=34 Czech Republic 10 years 2000
=34 Cote d'Ivoire 10 years 2000
=34 Togo 10 years 2000
=34 Sweden 10 years 2000
=34 Russia 10 years 2000
=34 Japan 10 years 2000
=34 Kiribati 10 years 2000
=34 Seychelles 10 years 2000
=34 Uruguay 10 years 2000
=34 Kyrgyzstan 10 years 2000
=34 Guyana 10 years 2000
=34 Namibia 10 years 2000
=34 French Polynesia 10 years 1997
=34 New Caledonia 10 years 1997
=34 Dominican Republic 10 years 1997
=34 Puerto Rico 10 years 1997
Non-religious countries average (profile) 9.92 years 2000
NATO countries average (profile) 9.89 years 2000
European Union average (profile) 9.86 years 2000
Europe average (profile) 9.81 years 2000
Former Soviet republics average (profile) 9.77 years 2000
Latin America and Caribbean average (profile) 9.53 years 2000
=69 Madagascar 9 years 2000
=69 Tajikistan 9 years 2000
=69 Turkey 9 years 2000
=69 Indonesia 9 years 2000
=69 Libya 9 years 2000
=69 Portugal 9 years 2000
=69 El Salvador 9 years 2000
=69 Thailand 9 years 2000
=69 Belize 9 years 2000
=69 Georgia 9 years 2000
=69 Morocco 9 years 2000
=69 Estonia 9 years 2000
=69 Italy 9 years 2000
=69 Papua New Guinea 9 years 2000
=69 Mauritania 9 years 2000
=69 Greece 9 years 2000
=69 Paraguay 9 years 2000
=69 Lithuania 9 years 2000
=69 Argentina 9 years 2000
=69 Cyprus 9 years 2000
=69 Cuba 9 years 2000
=69 China 9 years 2000
=69 Ukraine 9 years 2000
=69 Tonga 9 years 2000
=69 Mali 9 years 2000
=69 South Africa 9 years 2000
=69 Austria 9 years 2000
=69 Latvia 9 years 2000
=69 Belarus 9 years 2000
=69 Algeria 9 years 2000
=69 Marshall Islands 9 years 2000
=69 Chile 9 years 2000
=69 Switzerland 9 years 2000
=69 Poland 9 years 2000
=69 Sri Lanka 9 years 2000
=69 Malaysia 9 years 1997
=69 Bahrain 9 years 1997
Catholic countries average (profile) 8.82 years 2000
Emerging markets average (profile) 8.7 years 2000
Former Spanish colonies average (profile) 8.56 years 2000
=106 Malawi 8 years 2000
=106 Colombia 8 years 2000
=106 Sudan 8 years 2000
=106 Republic of Macedonia 8 years 2000
=106 Bolivia 8 years 2000
=106 Ghana 8 years 2000
=106 Albania 8 years 2000
=106 Kenya 8 years 2000
=106 Mongolia 8 years 2000
=106 Somalia 8 years 2000
=106 Bulgaria 8 years 2000
=106 Romania 8 years 2000
=106 Brazil 8 years 2000
=106 Croatia 8 years 2000
=106 Kuwait 8 years 2000
=106 Comoros 8 years 2000
=106 India 8 years 1997
Former French colonies average (profile) 7.86 years 2000
Sub-Saharan Africa average (profile) 7.45 years 2000
=123 Swaziland 7 years 2000
=123 Tanzania 7 years 2000
=123 Vanuatu 7 years 2000
=123 Philippines 7 years 2000
=123 Maldives 7 years 2000
=123 Venezuela 7 years 2000
=123 Zimbabwe 7 years 2000
=123 Trinidad and Tobago 7 years 2000
=123 Slovenia 7 years 2000
=123 Jamaica 7 years 2000
=123 United Arab Emirates 7 years 2000
=123 Lesotho 7 years 2000
=123 Eritrea 7 years 2000
=123 Mozambique 7 years 2000
=123 Zambia 7 years 2000
OPEC countries average (profile) 6.8 years 2000
South Asia average (profile) 6.75 years 2000
=138 Ethiopia 6 years 2000
=138 Cameroon 6 years 2000
=138 Afghanistan 6 years 2000
=138 Mauritius 6 years 2000
=138 Guinea 6 years 2000
=138 Panama 6 years 2000
=138 Nigeria 6 years 2000
=138 Rwanda 6 years 2000
=138 Qatar 6 years 2000
=138 Suriname 6 years 2000
=138 Senegal 6 years 2000
=138 Syria 6 years 2000
=138 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years 2000
=138 Saudi Arabia 6 years 2000
=138 Cape Verde 6 years 2000
=138 Benin 6 years 2000
=138 Chad 6 years 2000
=138 Niger 6 years 2000
=138 Haiti 6 years 2000
=138 Iraq 6 years 2000
=138 Guinea-Bissau 6 years 2000
=138 Djibouti 6 years 2000
=138 Burundi 6 years 2000
=138 Nicaragua 6 years 2000
=138 Central African Republic 6 years 1997
=138 Honduras 6 years 1997
=138 Cambodia 6 years 1997
=165 Bangladesh 5 years 2000
=165 Pakistan 5 years 2000
=165 Equatorial Guinea 5 years 2000
=165 Vietnam 5 years 2000
=165 Burma 5 years 2000
=165 Nepal 5 years 1997
171 Angola 4 years 2000

Citation

Education > Duration of compulsory education: Countries Compared Map

NationMaster

Interesting observations about Education > Duration of compulsory education

  • Belgium ranked first for duration of compulsory education amongst Christian countries in 2000.
  • Dominica ranked first for duration of compulsory education amongst Hot countries in 2000.
  • Brunei ranked first for duration of compulsory education amongst Muslim countries in 2000.
  • Peru ranked first for duration of compulsory education amongst Emerging markets in 2000.
  • Netherlands ranked second for duration of compulsory education amongst Europe in 2000.
  • Germany ranked second for duration of compulsory education amongst Cold countries in 2000.
  • Gabon ranked first for duration of compulsory education amongst Sub-Saharan Africa in 2000.
  • Italy ranked last for duration of compulsory education amongst Group of 7 countries (G7) in 2000.
  • United Kingdom ranked #4 for duration of compulsory education amongst European Union in 2000.
  • Guatemala ranked second for duration of compulsory education amongst Catholic countries in 2000.

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Education is one of the criteria for determining the United Nations <a href=/graph/eco_hum_dev_ind>HDI (Human Development Index)</a></p>

<p>For most contries the current number of years of compulsory education is higher than the <a href=/graph/edu_ave_yea_of_sch_of_adu&int=-1>average years of schooling for adults</a>. This is primarily due to increases in the duration of compulsory education.</p>
<p>This difference is most pronounced in developing nations where compulsory schooling has only recently been introduced, such as Mali, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau. Despite the move towards compulsory education, many developing nations still have a low proportion of primary school age children, especially <a href=/graph/edu_pri_sch_gir_out_of_sch>girls</a>, who are <a href=/graph/edu_sch_enr_pri_net&int=-1>enrolled</a> at any school.

Posted on 26 Mar 2005

Edria Murray, Staff editor

Edria Murray, Staff editor

0

In Norway there are just 10 years of mandatory school, not 11.

Posted on 25 Nov 2013

Daniel

Daniel

0

Education must be made compulsory atleast till the age of 16. In this way the Millenium Development Goals can be achieved! Aristotle: "Education is an ornament in prosperity n a refuge in adversity". Owing to education, the economy of a country can be propelled on a modern development path. Our modern society requires educated people not illeterate ones!!

Posted on 08 Oct 2012

(^-^)

(^-^)

0

In the State of New Jersey, compulsory education law requires student to begin formal education at the age of 6 years (First grade) and, with parental consent, to end at the age of 16.

A major educational policy highly correlated to students withdrawing from school prior to graduation is the experience of having been "left back" due to academic failure.

Retention is simply punitive. It plants the seed of student disaffection with school. There is no educational advantage or benefit for repeating a grade, other than getting better report card grades for the second time around the same curricular instruction.

Research in the professional journals of school social work, education, and school psychology will attest to the most significant risk-factor associated with retention, i.e., leaving school before graduation.

Early identification followed by early intervention to address the student's learning difficulties is the proven alternative to retention.

When your child's teacher proposes retention, ask for the research that endorses retention as an legitimate educational intervention.

Whenever a certificated school professional asserts any opinion, observation, comment or judgment, ask for the research that supports those claims. The board of education hires professionals for these professional expertise, not their personal opinion, beliefs, etc. Accept only research-based claims by educators. You have a right to know what the educator knows which is based not on individual experience but what research has established as currently "the best practice".

Whenever an educator says, "...because it's the law!", again just ask for the legal citation.

The only person who has federally protected privileged communication is the school social worker when holding the State's highest clinical social work license, e.g., LCSW. Licensed clinical social workers in the capacity of a school social worker is authorized to provide mental health services to your child in school. Some States may refer to such services as psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic counseling.

For students under the age of 16, parental consent is required to provide mental health services. In such a case, you, the parent have the federally protected privileged communication which you may invoke as it relates to disclosures made by the LCSW to staff members who do not need to know nor have the right to access the clinical social worker's notes.

Nor must the social worker withhold information which would interfere with a colleague's need for clinical information to perform his/her job responsibilities. It is the ethical responsibility of the clinical social worker to make the determination as to what needs to be disclosed; it is considered ethical standard of practice to seek parental consent to share confidentially acquired information.

Unless there is "a duty to warn" involved, there may be no breach of privileged communication by the licensed clinical social worker.

Posted on 04 Mar 2011

Harry Kuhn, MA, MSW, LCSW, School Social

Harry Kuhn, MA, MSW, LCSW, School Social

0

It is strange that such big countries as:Egypt,CongoDR,Iran,South and North Koreas,Taivan,Uganda,Uzbekistan,Yemen are not in this data list.

Posted on 18 Apr 2010

Audrius

Audrius

0

The United States allows you to drop out of school at age 16.

Posted on 14 Apr 2010

elleasaurrawr

elleasaurrawr

0

Anthony - we go through 12th grade here and Kindergarten is not legally required for all children in all states. This means that 12 is the correct number for the United States. Remember these are years of required schooling per country - not average years of actual schooling.

Posted on 17 Mar 2010

Sara

Sara

0

You are wrong about the United States, my friend.

Posted on 04 May 2009

Anthony

Anthony

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