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In the U.S. and Canada I think it's generally accepted that 10-12 is the earliest you can leave them alone for a few hours. It might even be illegal in some places to leave kids younger than that. Of course it depends on the child; some are better behaved and mature.
It's interesting that different places/cultures have a completely different conception of what constitutes "supervisory neglect;" I think in most developing countries parents leave kids as young as 5 alone for extended periods. That may be an economic necessity though. My wife was left alone in east Germany at age 6, to be babysat by her 8-year-old brother many times. One time the both of them were left for the weekend under the care of a 14 year old cousin, and that was pretty normal for that place and time (east Berlin in the 70s).
I was left to walk to and from school alone every day starting in kindergarten, but it was just four blocks with no traffic. I was also a latchkey (parents not home when I got home from school) in the 70s. I think playing outside without close supervision with other very young kids is a normal part of growing up, but the parents should be nearby within hearing distance. That wasn't always the case though when I was growing up, and I definitely got into a trouble when I was 5 or 6 unsupervised.
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