School-leaving age

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 themselves or their families.

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. 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 synchronized these ages. All information is taken from the Right to Education Project's table unless otherwise indicated.

Africa

Americas

Asia

Europe

Oceania