Education
Secondary education, duration (years)
Secondary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in secondary school.
World Bank code: SE.SEC.DURS • Data available for 209 countries • Latest year: 2025
In , Germany led Secondary education, duration (years) at 9.00.
The world median across 209 reporting countries was 6.00.
How "Education" indicators are measured
Education indicators come from UNESCO's Institute for Statistics, national ministries, and school censuses. Enrollment rates can exceed 100% when over-age children are still in school (repeating grades), so "net enrollment" — which counts only age-appropriate students — is often the more interpretable metric. Literacy data is updated infrequently in many countries.
Distribution — 2025
- Reporting
- 209 countries
- Median
- 6.00
- Mean
- 6.43
- 25th percentile
- 6.00
- 75th percentile
- 7.00
- Range
- 4.00 – 9.00
World at a Glance — 2025
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2025
| # | Country | Secondary education, duration (years) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany Europe & Central Asia | 9.00 |
| 2 | Slovak Republic Europe & Central Asia | 9.00 |
| 3 | San Marino Europe & Central Asia | 8.00 |
| 4 | Croatia Europe & Central Asia | 8.00 |
| 5 | Oman Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 8.00 |
| 6 | Czechia Europe & Central Asia | 8.00 |
| 7 | Serbia Europe & Central Asia | 8.00 |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 8.00 |
| 9 | Bulgaria Europe & Central Asia | 8.00 |
| 10 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. Sub-Saharan Africa | 8.00 |
Looking for a specific country? Only the top and bottom 10 appear here. See where every country ranks for Secondary education, duration (years).
View complete rankings →Biggest Movers — Year over Year
Largest increases
- Germany +0.0%
- Slovak Republic +0.0%
- San Marino +0.0%
- Croatia +0.0%
- Oman +0.0%
Largest decreases
- Germany 0.0%
- Slovak Republic 0.0%
- San Marino 0.0%
- Croatia 0.0%
- Oman 0.0%
By Income Group — Average
| Income group | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| High income | 79 | 6.46 |
| Upper middle income | 53 | 6.43 |
| Lower middle income | 50 | 6.42 |
| Low income | 25 | 6.40 |
| Not classified | 2 | 5.50 |
By Region — Average
| Region | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 35 | 6.34 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 53 | 7.11 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 41 | 5.63 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 23 | 6.52 |
| North America | 3 | 6.33 |
| South Asia | 6 | 6.83 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 48 | 6.31 |
Lowest Values — 2025
| # | Country | Secondary education, duration (years) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 4.00 |
| 2 | Antigua and Barbuda | 5.00 |
| 3 | Botswana | 5.00 |
| 4 | Barbados | 5.00 |
| 5 | Venezuela, RB | 5.00 |
| 6 | Lesotho | 5.00 |
| 7 | Jamaica | 5.00 |
| 8 | Trinidad and Tobago | 5.00 |
| 9 | Ireland | 5.00 |
| 10 | Honduras | 5.00 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (SE.SEC.DURS), CC BY 4.0. Rankings show countries with available data for 2025.