WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Is pre-primary education compulsory?

Extensive research has shown that early childhood experiences have a significant impact on cognitive development and subsequent learning outcomes.

Guarantees to compulsory education can make clear that government has an obligation to provide education, and support families in prioritizing education for all of their children

Compulsory education can be specified by an age range, a number of years, or a level of education during which children are required to go to school. We have looked at each of these factors, as well as national information on the length of pre-primary education and the standard age of beginning school, in order to create comparable information on the age until which education is compulsory. Note that in some cases, source text uses authoritative language to assert the parents’/guardians/ responsibility to ensure children of a certain age are enrolled or attending school; these cases were categorized as a guarantee to compulsory education.

No compulsory guarantee means that there is no explicit guarantee to compulsory pre-primary education in the country’s constitution, legislation, or non-legislative policy commitments.

Subject to progressive realization means that the country does not guarantee compulsory pre-primary education, but has committed to take steps to gradually realize compulsory pre-primary education over time

Policy guarantee to compulsory refers to guarantees to compulsory pre-primary education included in policy documents or non-legislative government commitments. While this can be a valuable policy-making approach, non-legislative guarantees to compulsory can be more impermanent and reversable than those enshrined in legislation or constitutions.

Legislative or constitutional guarantee to compulsory means that a guarantee to compulsory pre-primary school is enshrined in the country’s legislation or constitution.

Countries

Afghanistan - No compulsory guarantee

Albania - No compulsory guarantee

Algeria - No compulsory guarantee

Andorra - No compulsory guarantee

Antigua and Barbuda - No compulsory guarantee

Armenia - No compulsory guarantee

Australia - No compulsory guarantee

Bahamas - No compulsory guarantee

Bahrain - No compulsory guarantee

Bangladesh - No compulsory guarantee

Barbados - No compulsory guarantee

Belarus - No compulsory guarantee

Belize - No compulsory guarantee

Bhutan - No compulsory guarantee

Botswana - No compulsory guarantee

Brunei - No compulsory guarantee

Burkina Faso - No compulsory guarantee

Burundi - No compulsory guarantee

Cambodia - No compulsory guarantee

Cameroon - No compulsory guarantee

Canada - No compulsory guarantee

Cabo Verde - No compulsory guarantee

Chad - No compulsory guarantee

Chile - No compulsory guarantee

China - No compulsory guarantee

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No compulsory guarantee

Republic of the Congo - No compulsory guarantee

Cote d'Ivoire - No compulsory guarantee

Cuba - No compulsory guarantee

Djibouti - No compulsory guarantee

Dominica - No compulsory guarantee

Egypt - No compulsory guarantee

Eritrea - No compulsory guarantee

Estonia - No compulsory guarantee

Fiji - No compulsory guarantee

Gabon - No compulsory guarantee

Georgia - No compulsory guarantee

Germany - No compulsory guarantee

Grenada - No compulsory guarantee

Guinea-Bissau - No compulsory guarantee

Guyana - No compulsory guarantee

Haiti - No compulsory guarantee

Iceland - No compulsory guarantee

India - No compulsory guarantee

Indonesia - No compulsory guarantee

Iran - No compulsory guarantee

Iraq - No compulsory guarantee

Ireland - No compulsory guarantee

Italy - No compulsory guarantee

Japan - No compulsory guarantee

Jordan - No compulsory guarantee

Kiribati - No compulsory guarantee

Republic of Korea - No compulsory guarantee

Kuwait - No compulsory guarantee

Kyrgyzstan - No compulsory guarantee

Laos - No compulsory guarantee

Lebanon - No compulsory guarantee

Lesotho - No compulsory guarantee

Liberia - No compulsory guarantee

Libya - No compulsory guarantee

Liechtenstein - No compulsory guarantee

North Macedonia - No compulsory guarantee

Malawi - No compulsory guarantee

Malaysia - No compulsory guarantee

Mali - No compulsory guarantee

Malta - No compulsory guarantee

Mauritania - No compulsory guarantee

Mauritius - No compulsory guarantee

Micronesia, Federated States of - No compulsory guarantee

Monaco - No compulsory guarantee

Mongolia - No compulsory guarantee

Montenegro - No compulsory guarantee

Morocco - No compulsory guarantee

Mozambique - No compulsory guarantee

New Zealand - No compulsory guarantee

Niger - No compulsory guarantee

Norway - No compulsory guarantee

Oman - No compulsory guarantee

Pakistan - No compulsory guarantee

Palau - No compulsory guarantee

Papua New Guinea - No compulsory guarantee

Portugal - No compulsory guarantee

Qatar - No compulsory guarantee

Russian Federation - No compulsory guarantee

Rwanda - No compulsory guarantee

San Marino - No compulsory guarantee

Saudi Arabia - No compulsory guarantee

Senegal - No compulsory guarantee

Seychelles - No compulsory guarantee

Singapore - No compulsory guarantee

Slovenia - No compulsory guarantee

Solomon Islands - No compulsory guarantee

Somalia - No compulsory guarantee

South Africa - No compulsory guarantee

South Sudan - No compulsory guarantee

Spain - No compulsory guarantee

Sri Lanka - No compulsory guarantee

St. Lucia - No compulsory guarantee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No compulsory guarantee

Sudan - No compulsory guarantee

Eswatini - No compulsory guarantee

Syria - No compulsory guarantee

Tajikistan - No compulsory guarantee

Thailand - No compulsory guarantee

Timor-Leste - No compulsory guarantee

Trinidad and Tobago - No compulsory guarantee

Tunisia - No compulsory guarantee

Türkiye - No compulsory guarantee

Tuvalu - No compulsory guarantee

Uganda - No compulsory guarantee

United Arab Emirates - No compulsory guarantee

United Kingdom - No compulsory guarantee

United States of America - No compulsory guarantee

Vanuatu - No compulsory guarantee

Yemen - No compulsory guarantee

Zambia - No compulsory guarantee

Peru - Subject to progressive realization

Vietnam - Subject to progressive realization

Ethiopia - Policy guarantee

Guatemala - Policy guarantee

Nigeria - Policy guarantee

Panama - Policy guarantee

Sierra Leone - Policy guarantee

St. Kitts and Nevis - Policy guarantee

Tanzania - Policy guarantee

Uzbekistan - Policy guarantee

Austria - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Benin - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Bolivia - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Brazil - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Bulgaria - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Colombia - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Comoros - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Costa Rica - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Croatia - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Cyprus - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Denmark - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Ecuador - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

El Salvador - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Equatorial Guinea - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Finland - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

France - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Ghana - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Greece - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Hungary - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Israel - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Jamaica - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Kazakhstan - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Kenya - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Latvia - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Lithuania - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Madagascar - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Maldives - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Marshall Islands - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Mexico - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Myanmar - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Namibia - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Nauru - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Nepal - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Paraguay - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

The Philippines - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Samoa - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Sao Tome and Principe - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Serbia - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Slovakia - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Suriname - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Sweden - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Togo - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Tonga - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Turkmenistan - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Ukraine - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Venezuela - Legislative or constitutional guarantee

Zimbabwe - Legislative or constitutional guarantee