This page compares the education systems of Denmark and Indonesia.
Education System Overview
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public system with a public–private mix; governance is decentralised through municipal responsibility within national legislation [Source-1✅] | Mixed public/private system with decentralized school delivery. National ministries set core standards and policy, while provincial and district governments manage major parts of public-school provision. |
| Governing Body | Ministry of Children and Education (K–12) and Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (tertiary) [Source-2✅] | Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) for general school education; Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) for the madrasah system; and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) for higher education. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | Around 5–6% of GDP (latest OECD country-note reporting; value varies by year) [Source-3✅] | Approximately 1.3% of GDP in 2023, the latest value reported in the World Bank/UNESCO Institute for Statistics series. [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | From age 6 to age 16 (typical) compulsory education spans 10 years (including the pre-school class “Year 0”) [Source-4✅] | The statutory compulsory basic-education requirement covers approximately ages 7–15. Indonesia is separately expanding policy toward 13 years of compulsory education, including one preschool year and senior secondary education. [BPK] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 10 years (Year 0 + Grades 1–9) [Source-4✅] | 9 years under the established statutory basic-education requirement; the current national policy direction is 13 years, structured as one preschool year plus 6 years primary, 3 years junior secondary, and 3 years senior secondary. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional; access is widely available and participation is typically high across ages 3–5 (OECD reporting) [Source-4✅] | ECE is generally non-compulsory under the established statutory framework, while the 13-year policy prioritizes one preschool year for ages 5–6. Gross PAUD participation reached approximately 36.2% in 2025; this is a broad PAUD participation indicator rather than a strict ages 3–5 net-enrollment rate. [PAUDPEDIA] |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | 1 + 9 (compulsory: Year 0 + Grades 1–9) + 3 (general upper secondary, typical); VET pathways commonly run 2–5 years depending on programme [Source-4✅] | 6 + 3 + 3: 6 years of primary school, 3 years of junior secondary school, and 3 years of general or vocational senior secondary education. Some vocational programs may run for 4 years. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | Indicative: about 19% vocational / 81% general (based on OECD enrolment-rate distribution reporting for the 15–19 age group) [Source-5✅] | Approximately 33.5% vocational / 66.5% general, based on 2024/2025 senior-secondary enrollment totals across SMK and general/religious upper-secondary pathways. [Kemendikdasmen] |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | August (typical) [Source-6✅] | Typically July. Exact starting dates are established through provincial/local education calendars. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | June (typical; last-day setting is centrally determined in practice) [Source-6✅] | Typically June of the following calendar year, with exact dates varying by province and local education authority. |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | ~40 weeks (based on a norm of 200 school days) [Source-1✅] | Approximately 36 effective instructional weeks for a typical full school year; the precise total varies by grade, regional calendar, holidays, and school program. |
| Instruction Days per Year | 200 days (norm; local authorities may schedule more days) [Source-1✅] | Approximately 180 instructional days on a five-day-school equivalent basis; actual totals vary by regional calendar and school-week arrangement. |
Grading System
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | 7-point scale: -3, 00, 02, 4, 7, 10, 12 [Source-7✅] | No single mandatory national A–F or fixed numeric passing scale. Under Kurikulum Merdeka, schools and teachers use learning-achievement criteria known as KKTP, which may combine numerical results, descriptors, rubrics, and competency evidence. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | 7-point scale aligned with ECTS letter mapping (A–F) [Source-7✅] | Institution-specific, although a 4.00 GPA scale with letter grades is widely used. A common model ranges from A = 4.0 to E = 0, with some universities using intermediate grades. [ITB] |
Language of Instruction
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | Danish (standard language of instruction) | Bahasa Indonesia is the principal national language of instruction. Regional languages may support instruction during early stages where appropriate. [BPK] |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | German in minority school settings (where applicable); otherwise limited | Regional/local languages may be used as supporting instructional languages, particularly in early education. English is primarily taught as a foreign language; it is scheduled to become a compulsory primary-school subject from the 2027/2028 academic year. [Kemendikdasmen] |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Majority share (a precise single K–12 % is not stated as one consolidated figure in the cited open sources) | Approximately 66.5%, calculated from 2024/2025 primary, junior-secondary, and senior-secondary enrollment by school status. Public shares were about 73.2% at primary, 60.9% at junior secondary, and 57.3% at senior secondary. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 (free public schooling) [Source-8✅] | $0 tuition for compulsory basic education in government schools under the national education framework. Permitted ancillary costs and locally administered support arrangements can vary. [BPK] |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes (nationwide municipal provision) [Source-1✅] | Yes. Public primary and secondary schools operate nationwide across Indonesia’s provinces and districts, complemented by the public religious-school network. |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Meaningful but minority share (Denmark has government-supported private school options) [Source-9✅] | Approximately 33.5% across primary through senior-secondary education, derived from official 2024/2025 student totals by school status. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | Nationwide (both urban and regional availability) [Source-9✅] | Nationwide presence, with particularly extensive provision in densely populated and urban areas and through community, foundation, and religious education networks. |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | 26 recognised international basic schools [Source-10✅] | Approximately 146 directory-listed international schools as of 2026; this figure represents a specialist international-school directory rather than an official government census. [International Schools Database] |
| Number of IB World Schools | 20 IB World Schools [Source-11✅] | Approximately 80 IB World Schools listed for Indonesia in 2026. [IB] |
| Main International Programmes Offered | IB (PYP/MYP/DP/CP); plus international curricula such as Cambridge or US-style programmes (school-dependent) [Source-11✅] | IB, Cambridge International, British, American, Australian, Singaporean, French, and bilingual/internationalized Indonesian curricula are among the principal options. |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | Professional Bachelor’s in teacher education (typical pathway for public-school teachers) | A minimum academic qualification of S-1 bachelor’s degree or D-IV applied bachelor’s level is the national professional benchmark, alongside teacher-certification requirements for eligible professional teachers. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | 19 students (latest OECD table year shown) [Source-12✅] | Approximately 21 students per class group nationally, based on the official primary student-to-class-group ratio dataset. [Data Indonesia] |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | 20 students (latest OECD table year shown) [Source-12✅] | Approximately 28 students per class group at junior-secondary level. [Data Indonesia] |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | Not reported as one single national “class size” average in the cited OECD class-size table; grouping varies by programme and subject [Source-12✅] | Approximately 30 students overall as an indicative upper-secondary figure. General senior-secondary classes average about 32 students, while vocational classes are closer to 27 students. [Data Indonesia]; vocational reference: [Data Indonesia] |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation (First Year) | 2000 (OECD PISA cycle participation) [Source-13✅] | 2001, through the PISA 2000 Plus administration; Indonesia has subsequently participated regularly in PISA. |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 509 / 501 / 493 [Source-14✅] | 379 / 371 / 396. [OECD PISA 2018] |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 489 / 489 / 494 [Source-13✅] | 366 / 359 / 383. [OECD] |
| Average PISA Rank 2000–2022 (Math / Reading / Science) | Not published by OECD as a single long-run “average rank”; the standard reference is cycle-specific scores and trends [Source-13✅] | Not officially published as a standardized OECD metric. Participant numbers and economies included differ by PISA cycle, so a single comparable 2000–2022 average rank is not reported by OECD. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2022) | Science (highest domain score) [Source-13✅] | Science, with a score of 383, compared with 366 in mathematics and 359 in reading. [OECD] |
Higher Education System
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 25 core institutions across main public types (8 universities + 7 business academies + 7 university colleges + 3 architecture/art institutions) [Source-15✅] | 4,303 institutions in the 2025 national higher-education statistics. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | 8 universities [Source-16✅] | 981 institutions classified as Universitas. Indonesia’s national statistics do not publish a separate statutory count specifically labeled research universities. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | 7 university colleges (Professional Bachelor providers) [Source-17✅] | 885 vocational/applied institutions: 389 polytechnics, 465 academies, and 31 community academies. Indonesia also reports 2,006 Sekolah Tinggi, specialized higher-education schools/colleges. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Main Institution Types | Universities; University Colleges; Business Academies; Architecture/Art institutions; plus specialised providers [Source-15✅] | Universities; institutes; Sekolah Tinggi; polytechnics; academies; and community academies. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | Public/non-profit: dominant | Private/for-profit: limited (no single consolidated national % stated in the cited open sources) | State/public-managed: approximately 50.3% | Society/private-managed: approximately 49.7% of registered students in 2025. National statistics classify institutions primarily by management/ownership group rather than a strict nonprofit-versus-for-profit distinction. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | 500+ English-taught programmes (system-wide) [Source-18✅] | Not centrally published as a national total. English-medium International Undergraduate Programs and international/English-track master’s programs are reported primarily by individual universities. |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | Not centrally stated as a single national percentage in the cited sources; Danish remains the main language across many programmes | No verified nationwide percentage is centrally published. Bahasa Indonesia is the predominant national instructional language, while individual institutions may operate bilingual or English-medium programs. |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | Not centrally stated as a single national percentage in the cited sources; institutions offer 500+ English-taught programmes [Source-18✅] | No verified nationwide percentage is centrally published. English-medium provision represents a specialized subset of programs, particularly international undergraduate and postgraduate tracks. |
| Main Global Ranking Used | QS World University Rankings (commonly referenced globally) | QS World University Rankings is used here as the selected international comparison framework. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | Varies by edition; the cited QS country view is interactive and does not provide a fixed top-100 count in the accessible static view | 0 universities in the global Top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | Varies by edition; use the ranking’s official table view for year-specific counts | 7 universities in the global Top 500 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | Varies by edition; Denmark has multiple ranked universities in global tables | 12 universities in the global Top 1000 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | Danish Accreditation Institution (Danmarks Akkrediteringsinstitution) | BAN-PT (National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education), complemented by discipline-specific Independent Accreditation Agencies (LAM). [BAN-PT] |
| International Students (Total) | Not stated as one single total figure in the cited open sources on this page; official student series are available via Statistics Denmark [Source-19✅] | No standalone, current nationwide international-student total is published in the 2025 public higher-education dashboard. International-student study-permit administration is maintained through the ministry’s dedicated foreign-student service. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | 14.1% (OECD reporting for tertiary) [Source-5✅] | Not centrally published as a verified current nationwide percentage; therefore, a national share cannot be stated reliably from the 2025 public statistics. Total registered tertiary enrollment was approximately 10.75 million students. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 for EU/EEA and Swiss students (public higher education) [Source-20✅] | Approximately $60–$1,600 per year for regular means-tiered undergraduate tuition in a representative public-university program; exact UKT charges vary substantially by university, program, and assigned fee band. [Universitas Indonesia] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | Tuition fees apply for non-EU/EEA students; amounts are set by institutions (programme-dependent) [Source-20✅] | Approximately $1,700–$7,500 per year as an indicative range across foreign-student bachelor’s tuition categories at a major public university, excluding any one-time institutional-development charges. [UGM] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 for eligible EU/EEA students; otherwise institution-set tuition applies for fee-paying students [Source-20✅] | Approximately $3,000–$8,000 per year for many English-medium/international undergraduate tracks at major public universities. Dual-degree arrangements, medicine, and partner-university components can cost more. [ITB] |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | Provider-set; prices vary by intensity, location, and provider | Approximately $180–$210 per month equivalent for a university-based Indonesian-language course, based on UGM INCULS semester tuition spread across a 15–17 week term. [UGM] |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | — | |
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | Denmark | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Denmark’s education system combines a strong public foundation with a supported private school sector. In compulsory schooling, municipalities have substantial local responsibility for organising school days and timetables within national minimum rules, including a norm of 200 school days per year [Source-1✅]. Learning outcomes are internationally benchmarked through OECD PISA, where Denmark’s 2022 results show balanced performance across domains, with science as the highest-scoring area [Source-13✅]. Higher education is delivered through universities, university colleges, business academies, and specialised institutions, supported by ongoing system development and modernisation efforts [Source-15✅]. For eligible EU/EEA students, public higher education is tuition-free, while non-EU/EEA students typically pay institution-set fees [Source-20✅]. The country also offers extensive international options, including 500+ English-taught higher education programmes [Source-18✅]. | Indonesia has a large, mixed, and decentralized education system. National ministries establish curriculum, quality, and policy frameworks, while provincial and district governments manage much of public-school delivery; the Ministry of Religious Affairs operates the extensive madrasah sector. The standard school structure is 6 years of primary, 3 years of junior secondary, and 3 years of senior secondary education, with both general and vocational pathways. The established compulsory basic-education framework covers ages 7–15, while current policy is moving toward a 13-year model that adds one preschool year and extends participation through senior secondary school. Public schools educate roughly two-thirds of students across primary and secondary levels, alongside a substantial private, foundation, and religious-school sector. Bahasa Indonesia is the principal instructional language, with regional-language support permitted and English education expanding. Higher education includes more than 4,300 institutions across universities, institutes, colleges, polytechnics, and academies. Recent reforms emphasize Kurikulum Merdeka, deeper learning, competency-based assessment, digital learning systems, coding and artificial intelligence options, broader preschool and secondary participation, and preparation for compulsory primary English from 2027/2028. |