SDG: Northern America vs South Africa: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes
SDG: Northern America
8.77 years
in 2023
South Africa
9.22 years
in 2023
SDG: Northern America rank
84th
South Africa rank
81st
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes over time
- SDG: Northern America
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 9.22 years against 8.77 years in SDG: Northern America, a difference of 0.45 years.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times SDG: Northern America's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 23 shared years of data; in 1999 it was SDG: Northern America ahead.
SDG: Northern America ranks 84th and South Africa ranks 81st of 221 groups.
Across the 4 decades both report, SDG: Northern America averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | SDG: Northern America | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.11 years | 8.66 years | 0.4473 years | SDG: Northern America |
| 2000s | 9.05 years | 8.56 years | 0.4843 years | SDG: Northern America |
| 2010s | 9.05 years | 9.27 years | 0.2171 years | South Africa |
| 2020s | 8.9 years | 9.25 years | 0.3483 years | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes, SDG: Northern America or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 9.22 years against 8.77 years in SDG: Northern America as of 2023.
- What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes between SDG: Northern America and South Africa?
- 0.45 years, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for SDG: Northern America and South Africa?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2023.
- How do SDG: Northern America and South Africa rank globally for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
- SDG: Northern America ranks 84th and South Africa ranks 81st of 221 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release