School leaving age

World map to show school leaving age

The school leaving age is the minimum age a person is legally allowed to leave compulsory secondary education. Most countries have their school leaving age set the same as their minimum full-time employment age, thus allowing smooth transition from education into employment, whilst a few have it set just below the age at which a person is allowed to be employed.

In contrast, there are numerous countries that have several years between their school leaving age and their legal minimum employment age, thus in some cases preventing any such transition for several years. Countries which have their employment age set below the school leaving age (mostly developing countries), risk giving children the opportunity to leave their education early to earn money for their families.

The table below states the school leaving ages in countries across the world and their respective minimum employment age, showing a comparison of how many countries have synchronised these ages.

Leaving age by country

Some countries have different leaving or employment ages, but in certain countries like China and Japan, the average age at which people graduate is 15, depending upon part-time or full-time learning or employment.

Legend

Color legend	Ages legend
School leaving age higher	0 denotes education is not compulsory
Employment age higher	0 denotes no minimum employment age as children could be, in theory, employed from birth
Both ages synchronised	― denotes no information available
No information / No age set	? denotes the age set is unknown

Africa

#	Country	De jure		Education/ Employment gap	Notes
		School leaving age	Employment age
	Algeria	16		0
	Benin	?	14
	Burkina Faso	16	0	-16
	Burundi	12	16	4
	Cameroon	0	14	14
	Cape Verde	16	14	-2
	Chad	15	0	-15
	Comoros	14	0	-14
	Egypt	14		0
	Eritrea	0	14	14
	Ethiopia	0	14	14
	Gabon	16		0
	Ghana	15	12	-3
	Guinea	16		0
	Kenya	0	1	1
	Libya	15		0
	Morocco	13	15	2
	Niger	16	14	-2
	Rwanda	12	0	-12
	Seychelles	15		0
	Sierra Leone	15	0	-15
	South Africa	15		0	A child between the ages of 15 and 18 may only be employed if he or she has completed the ninth grade.
	Sudan	0	16	16
	Tanzania	13	0	-13
	Togo	15	14	-1
	Tunisia	16		0
	Zambia	0	14	14

Asia

#	Country	De jure		Education/ Employment gap	Notes
		School leaving age	Employment age
	Bangladesh	10	0	-10
	Bahrain	0	15	15
	Brunei	0	14	14	Compulsory Education in Brunei from Primary Education to Secondary Education. Tertiary Education is encouraged.
	Burma	0	13	13	De facto none
	China	15	16	1	Compulsory education lasts 9 years. School leaving age is calculated under the assumption that pupils will enroll in school at age 6 or graduate high school at age 18.
	India	14	18	4	The Government is making a law of compulsory education up to 14 years. Any person who wishes to continue his education can continue to work.
	Hong Kong	15	16	1
	Indonesia	15	14	-1	The school leaving age varies among provinces with most having a leaving age of 15, but a handful having a leaving age of 18.
	Iran	16	15	-1
	Iraq	?	15
	Israel	18	14	-4	The age of employment has been lowered, the school leaving age raised.
	Japan	15		0	The vast majority (>90%) of Japanese students complete senior secondary education due to social pressures, despite the leaving age.
	Jordan	17	16	-1
	North Korea	15		0
	South Korea	15		0	The vast majority of Korean students complete senior secondary education due to social pressures as well as self-satisfaction, despite the leaving age. Government assistance is available to families .
	Kuwait	14		0
	Malaysia	16	0	-16	Students must complete form 3 (grade 9) to quit school or start working. Most students has part-time jobs. Malaysia has the high number of underaged workers.
	Maldives	0	16	16
	Pakistan	10	14	4	Although the minimum age for leaving school is 10 years or primary, which means a 7 year education, the minimum age of employment is considered to be 14.The 14 years old can do only light work and not hazardous employment
	Philippines	16	18	2	The legal employment age in the Philippines is 18, but it is also violated by some.
	Saudi Arabia	15	18	3	A student may leave school after the age of 15 if permission of his/her father is given. Otherwise, the student must complete school until the age of 18. The employment age in a part-time job or during school holidays is 15.
	Singapore	16	15	-1	Primary school is compulsory, followed by secondary school. 16 is the school leaving age; one may leave only after the release of Singaporean GCE 'O' Level results for admission to polytechnics, junior colleges, Institute of Technical Education, or work. 15 is the minimum employment age. Under-aged people are not allowed to be employed or they risk fines by the Ministry of Manpower.
	Sri Lanka	14	10	-4
	Syria	12		0
	Taiwan	18		0
	Thailand	15		0	Students must complete secondary education up to Matthayom 3 and then have the choice of proceeding to upper secondary, vocasional schools or dropping out, however due to social pressures most students finish their secondary education and proceed to Matthayom 6, matriculation or other forms of pre-university education.
	United Arab Emirates	18	15	-3
	Vietnam	18	15	-3	Junior High schools are now compulsory, but in some mountainous regions, many children leave schools earlier to help their parents. The government is trying to reduce that happening. Children must be at least 15 to be legally employed.

Europe

#	Country	De jure		Education/ Employment gap	Notes
		School leaving age	Employment age
	Andorra	16		0
	Austria	15		0
	Belarus	15	14	-1
	Belgium	18		0	Full-time education is compulsory from the age of 6 to 15. From the person's 16th to their 18th birthday, they are obliged to pursue at least part-time education so they have a choice between full-time or part-time education.
	Bulgaria	16		0
	Cyprus	15		0
	Czech Republic	15		0
	Denmark	16	13	-3
	England	16	13	-3	Full-time employment is illegal before the last Friday in June of Year Eleven even if the child is already 16. Part-time employment may be undertaken from 14 and in certain cases, for example delivering newspapers, at 13. Rules coming into application in 2011 require all young people to continue with some kind of education or training until 18. Young people aged 16 or 17 may be employed if they enter apprenticeship.
	Estonia	15	18	3
	Finland	varies	14		Citizens must complete comprehensive school. The age of finishing it varies depending on the age of starting school (mostly 7) and years held back. Most graduate from comprehensive school at the age of 16. Pupils who have not finished comprehensive school by the age of 17 (which is marginal) may quit school. Post-secondary (tertiary) education is voluntary.
	France	18		0	The statutory minimum school leaving age is 16. There are, however, a few specific cases where young people may enter employment before the age of 16, such as employment in the parents' company, sporadic work, or young people who have left school early taking up an apprenticeship at 15, to name a few.
	Germany	18	15	-3	The statutory minimum school leaving age is essentially set at 18. The federal Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz (Youth Employment Protection Act) regulates the minimum employment age, which is set at 15. However, from the person's 15th to their 18th birthday, they are obliged by state law to pursue at least part-time vocational secondary education, usually within the German dual education system.
	Greece	16		0
	Hungary	18	16	-2
	Iceland	15		0
	Ireland	16	15	-1	16 is the minimum school leaving age, though students must complete three years of basic secondary education (ie. the Junior Certificate) regardless of age. Young people may be employed in a part-time job during school holidays at age 14, part-time year-round at age 15 and may be employed full-time at age 18. Persons under the age of 18 are subject to restrictions on their work. People under 16 must have written parental approval before they take a job.
	Italy	16		0
	Latvia	15		0
	Liechtenstein	15		0
	Lithuania	16		0
	Luxembourg	15		0
	Macedonia	18	15	-3	Compulsory secondary education starts year 2008 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 49 from 18.04.2007)
	Malta	16		0	Although the compulsory education ends at 16, an increasing number of children opt to further their studies while taking up part-time employment.
	Monaco	16		0
	Netherlands	18	16	-2	Full-time education is compulsory from the age of 5 to 16. From the person's 16th to their 18th birthday, they are obliged to pursue at least part-time education so they have a choice between full-time or part-time education.
	Netherlands Antilles	15	12	-3
	Norway	16	15	-1
	Northern Ireland	16	13	-3	Employment restrictions similar to those operated in Scotland apply to 13-16 year olds. Unlike Scotland, 16 year olds must complete at least the first term of year twelve.
	Poland	18	15	-3
	Portugal	16		0
	Romania	16		0
	Russia	15	14	-1
	San Marino	16		0
	Scotland	16	13	-3	Compulsory education ends usually after the age of 16 which is generally after fourth year though for some is halfway through fifth year usually. However, many students stay on to fifth and/or sixth year, where qualifications are gained for entry to university. Restrictions apply to working hours of those 13 to 16 year (i.e. maximum hours, work permits, type of work) to ensure that employment fits round requirements of full-time education.
	Slovakia	16	14	-2	From 14 to 17, only part-time jobs allowed. Student can leave school after 10 years of school atendance (usually 16 years) or when first school year after his/her 16th birthday is finished (whatever comes first). Most students continue until maturita exam in last year of high school (student is usually 18 at that time).
	Slovenia	15		0
	Spain	16		0
	Sweden	16		0
	Switzerland	15		0
	Turkey	14	12	-2
	Ukraine	17	16	-1
	Wales	16	14	-2	Full-time work starts at 16

North America and Caribbean

#	Country	De jure		Education/ Employment gap	Notes
		School leaving age	Employment age
	Barbados	16		0
	Belize	14	12	-2
	Canada	16	14	-2
	Dominica	16	12	-4
	Dominican Republic	15		0
	Grenada	14		0
	Haiti	?	15
	Honduras	13	14	1
	Jamaica	16	18	2
	Mexico	15	14	-1
	Saint Kitts and Nevis	16		0
	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0	14	14
	Trinidad and Tobago	12		0
	United States	16	14	-2	The school leaving age varies from state to state with most having a leaving age of 16 or 17, but a handful having a leaving age of above that number. Students who complete a certain level of secondary education ("high school") may take a standardized test and be graduated from compulsory education, the General Equivalency Degree. Gifted and talented students are also generally permitted by several states to accelerate their education so as to obtain a diploma prior to attaining the leaving age. Young people may seek employment at 14 in many states but, in practice, most employers seek someone slightly older. However, it is common for those aged 14 to gain employment in agriculture.

South America

#	Country	De jure		Education/ Employment gap	Notes
		School leaving age	Employment age
	Argentina	15	14	-1
	Bolivia	15	?
	Brazil	17		0	Schooling is mandatory for children 6-16 (years 1-9 in the new Brazilian school system). After that, there is no legal obligation to stay in school. Students who want to qualify for university admission must however complete three additional years (years 10-12) of secondary school (ensino médio), thus normally leaving school at age 17 or 18, depending on one's birthday date. The minimum age for legal work is 17; at 15, one is allowed to have an apprenticeship contract.
	Chile	18	17	-1	Students finish their secondary education (Educación Media in Spanish) at age 18, and working is legal only if the underaged employee (age 17 or younger) is authorised by legal guardian or parents,
	Colombia	15	14	-1
	Paraguay	15	0	-15	Since the initiation of the Education Reform in 1993, basic education is for a period of nine years to the age of 15. According to the Constitution, compulsory education ends at 12.
	Peru	16	12	-4	Employers are obliged to report regularly on the performance and attendance of students who they employ to help ensuring their education does not suffer because of their employment.
	Suriname	10	14	4
	Venezuela	10	14	4

Oceania

#	Country	De jure		Education/ Employment gap	Notes
		School leaving age	Employment age
	Australia	17	15	-2	School leaving age varies from state to state with 17 being the most common.[citation needed] It is common for students to have an unskilled job until they finish their schooling.
	Fiji	0	12	12
	Marshall Islands	14	0	-14
	Federated States of Micronesia	14	0	-14
	New Zealand	16	0	-16	Those at least 15 may leave school with permission from the Ministry of Education
	Palau	17	0	-17
	Solomon Islands	0	12	12

See also

• Education Index
• Legal working age
• Compulsory education
• Raising of school leaving age

External links

• Right to Education