What is the average time to obtain a Ph.D.?

Fron what I see around me, about 10 years

Usually, without a master degree, PhD coursework may consume you 5-7 years. With a master degree, you can expect to get your phd in 3 to 5 years. So, basicly, one will graduate a phd degree after 5 to 7 years after his or her undergraduate degree.

On average I think a PhD takes about 4-6 years to complete especially in the biological sciences. There is usually a prescribed minimum period of study (typically two and a half years full time), but most people don't complete within such a short period of time.

Graduating in four years is extremely rare. From my personal experience (I was in a biology PhD program for 2 years. The timespan is anywhere from 5-10 with 5 to 6 years being the norm. For both ecology and lab based research projects. Think long and hard before entering a PhD program. You have to be totally committed to your work in order to be successful. It can take a real toll on you and your family.

It definitely depends on what field you are talking about. I'm in biology (my emphasis is ecology, but I know a fair amount of people doing molecular work, microbiology, and the like). I think the majority are taking approximately 5 years. I know some people take 6-7 years. Then again, if you knew what you were doing and didn't have a major setback, you could graduate in 4 years. This type of situation would be quite rare though.

in my view the average time to obtain ph.d is 5years