School leaving age
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The school leaving age states the minimum age which a person is legally allowed to leave compulsory education. The majority of countries have their school leaving age set the same as their minimum 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 which 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 3rd world 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 comparion of how many countries have synchronised these ages.[1] The largest known gap between school leaving and employment age is in Peru, where a child by law must have an education up to the age of 18, yet can legally be employed at the age of just 12. There are however regulations in place to ensure that their work does not affect academic performance or school attendance, and employers are obliged to report regularly on the performance and attendance of students who they employ.[2]
In the U.S.A. and Canada, students who complete a certain level of secondary education ("high school") can take a standardized test and be graduated from compulsory education.
Contents |
[edit] Leaving age by country
Some countries have different leaving or employment ages, dependant upon part-time or full-time learning or employment.
Legend
| Color legend | Ages legend |
| Both ages synchronised | ni denotes no information available |
| School leaving age higher | nc denotes education is not compulsory |
| Employment age higher | nm denotes no minimum employment age |
| No information / No age set | ? denotes the age set is unknown |
[edit] Africa
| # | Country | De jure | Education/ Employment gap |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School leaving age | Employment age | ||||
 Algeria |
16 | 0 | |||
 Benin |
? | 14 | |||
 Burkina Faso |
16 | nm | |||
 Burundi |
12 | 16 | 4 | ||
 Cameroon |
nc | 14 | |||
 Cape Verde |
16 | 14 | -2 | ||
 Chad |
15 | nm | |||
 Comoros |
14 | nm | |||
 Egypt |
14 | 0 | |||
 Eritrea |
nc | 14 | |||
 Ethiopia |
nc | 14 | |||
 Gabon |
16 | 0 | |||
 Ghana |
15 | nm | |||
 Guinea |
16 | 0 | |||
 Kenya |
nc | nm | |||
 Libya |
15 | 0 | |||
 Morocco |
13 | 15 | 2 | ||
 Niger |
16 | 14 | -2 | ||
 Rwanda |
12 | nm | |||
 Seychelles |
15 | 0 | |||
 Sierra Leone |
15 | nm | |||
 South Africa |
15 | nm | |||
 Sudan |
nc | 16 | |||
 Tanzania |
13 | nm | |||
 Togo |
15 | 14 | -1 | ||
 Tunisia |
16 | 0 | |||
 Zambia |
nc | 14 | |||
[edit] Asia
| # | Country | De jure | Education/ Employment gap |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School leaving age | Employment age | ||||
 Bangladesh |
10 | nm | |||
 Bahrain |
nc | 15 | |||
 Brunei |
nc | 14 | |||
 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 | nm | |||
 Iran |
16 | 15 | -1 | ||
 Iraq |
? | 15 | |||
 Israel |
18 | 14 | -4 | The age of employment has been lowered and the school leaving age has raised. | |
 Japan |
15 | 0 | |||
 Jordan |
17 | 16 | -1 | ||
 South Korea |
15 | 0 | |||
 Kuwait |
14 | 0 | |||
 Maldives |
nc | 16 | |||
 Pakistan |
10 | 14 | 4 | Although the minimum age for leaving school is 10 years or primary in Pakistan which mean a 7 year education, but the minimum age of employement is considered to be 14.The 14 years old can only do light work and not the hazardous employments | |
 Philippines |
18 | 17 | -1 | ||
 Saudi Arabia |
18 | 0 | In Saudi Arabia a student may leave school when permission of his legal custodians (parents) is given, if not the student must complete school until the age of 18. The employment age in a part time job during school holidays is 14. | ||
 Singapore |
11 | ? | Although Singapore currently does not practise compulsory education, primary education was made compulsory for 6 years with effect from January 2003, and education is almost universal for primary and secondary levels. | ||
 Sri Lanka |
14 | 10 | -4 | ||
 Syria |
12 | 0 | |||
 Taiwan |
15 | 0 | |||
 United Arab Emirates |
11 | 15 | 4 | ||
 Vietnam |
10 | ? | Every child should receive an education up to the age of 14 years, although education is only compulsory up to the age of 10 years. | ||
[edit] Europe
| # | Country | De jure | Education/ Employment gap |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School leaving age | Employment age | ||||
 Andorra |
16 | 0 | |||
 Austria |
15 | 0 | |||
 Belarus |
? | 14 | |||
.svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
18 | 0 | Full-time education is compulsory from the age of 3 to 15. From the person's 16th to their 18th birthday, they are obliged to pursue at least part-time education, thus having a choice between full-time or part-time education. | ||
 Bulgaria |
15 | 0 | |||
 Cyprus |
15 | 0 | |||
 Czech Republic |
15 | 0 | |||
 Denmark |
16 | 15 | -1 | ||
 Estonia |
15 | 18 | 3 | ||
 Finland |
16 | 14 | -2 | ||
 France |
16 | 0 | The statutory minimum school leaving age in France 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.[3] | ||
 Germany |
16 | 0 | |||
 Greece |
16 | 0 | |||
 Hungary |
16 | 0 | |||
 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 can be employed in a part time job during school holidays at age 14, part time year-round at age 15, and 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 |
18 | 15 | -3 | ||
 Latvia |
15 | 0 | |||
 Liechtenstein |
15 | 0 | |||
 Luxembourg |
15 | 0 | |||
 Republic of 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 |
16 | 0 | Children may leave full-time education on the year they turn 16, but are still obliged to attend part-time education for 1 year thereafter. | ||
 Netherlands Antilles |
15 | 12 | -3 | ||
 Norway |
16 | 15 | -1 | ||
 Poland |
18 | 15 | -3 | ||
 Portugal |
15 | 0 | |||
 Romania |
16 | 0 | |||
 Russia |
15 | 0 | |||
 San Marino |
16 | 0 | |||
 Slovakia |
16 | 14 | -2 | ||
 Slovenia |
15 | 0 | |||
 Spain |
16 | 0 | |||
 Sweden |
16 | 0 | |||
 Switzerland |
15 | 0 | |||
 Turkey |
14 | 12 | -2 | ||
 Ukraine |
17 | 16 | -1 | ||
 United Kingdom |
16 | 14 | -2 | In 2013, the school leaving age is expected be raised to 18 in England. Currently 16 years olds must remain in school until the end of the school year (July). Those born between July and August will leave school at the age of 15. | |
[edit] 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 | (18 in Ontario and New Brunswick) | |
 Dominica |
16 | 12 | -4 | ||
 Dominican Republic |
15 | 0 | |||
 Grenada |
14 | 0 | |||
 Haiti |
ni | 15 | |||
 Honduras |
13 | 14 | 1 | ||
 Jamaica |
16 | 18 | 2 | ||
 Mexico |
15 | nm | |||
 Saint Kitts and Nevis |
16 | 0 | |||
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
nc | 14 | |||
 Trinidad and Tobago |
12 | 0 | |||
 United States |
17 | 14 | -3 | The school leaving age varies from state to state with most having a leaving age of 17 or 18. | |
 Venezuela |
14 | 0 | |||
[edit] 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 15 and 17 being the most popular. In some states students can leave before the specified age if they are in TAFE or a fulltime job. | |
 Fiji |
nc | 12 | |||
 Marshall Islands |
14 | nm | |||
 Federated States of Micronesia |
14 | nm | |||
 New Zealand |
16 | nm | 15 year olds can leave school with permission from the education department | ||
 Palau |
17 | nm | |||
 Solomon Islands |
nc | 12 | |||
[edit] South America
| # | Country | De jure | Education/ Employment gap |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School leaving age | Employment age | ||||
 Argentina |
15 | 14 | -1 | ||
 Brazil |
17 | 22 | 5 | ||
 Chile |
15 | 17 | 2 | ||
 Colombia |
15 | 14 | -1 | ||
 Paraguay |
15 | nm | Since the initiation of the Education Reform in 1993, basic education is for a period of nine years, to the age of 15 years. According to the Constitution, compulsory education ends at age 12. | ||
 Peru |
18 | 12 | -6 | The largest known comparison between education and employment, where a child can legally be employed 6 years before leaving compulsory education. Employers are obliged to report regularly on the performance and attendance of students who they employ, to help ensuring their education doesn't suffer because of their employment. | |
 Suriname |
nc | 14 | |||
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