Whithin the context of the following list, an unschooling friendly country is a sovereign state or a self-governing territory with permanent population not part of a sovereign state, in which:
- Homeschooling is a legal form of schooling ;
- It requires no prior authorisation ;
- It can be curriculum-free.
| Map of unschooling friendly countries | near |
|---|---|
 |
London |
 |
New York City |
 |
Hong Kong |
 |
Singapore |
 |
Tokyo |
 |
Dubai |
Since 2022, a growing number of countries have introduced or expanded laws making preschool education compulsory for children between the ages of 3 and 5. This trend is closely linked to international policy initiatives and coordination mechanisms.
A major turning point was the UNESCO World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, held in Tashkent in November 2022. During this event, 147 countries endorsed the Tashkent Declaration, which called for all governments to provide at least one year of free and compulsory pre-primary education.
These reforms are often reinforced by external incentives. In the European Union, for instance, funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility is conditional on implementing early childhood education targets. In other regions, World Bank and Global Partnership for Education grants support similar reforms.
Additionally, international organizations such as the OECD and UNESCO have begun publishing detailed comparisons of early childhood systems, including legal obligations and enrollment rates. This reporting contributes to a form of peer pressure, encouraging countries to align with emerging international norms.