South Africa vs UNICEF: North America: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes
South Africa
9.22 years
in 2023
UNICEF: North America
8.77 years
in 2023
South Africa rank
81st
UNICEF: North America rank
83rd
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes over time
- South Africa
- UNICEF: North America
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 9.22 years against 8.77 years in UNICEF: North America, a difference of 0.45 years.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times UNICEF: North America's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 23 shared years of data; in 1999 it was UNICEF: North America ahead.
South Africa ranks 81st and UNICEF: North America ranks 83rd of 200 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and UNICEF: North America in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | UNICEF: North America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.66 years | 9.11 years | 0.4472 years | UNICEF: North America |
| 2000s | 8.56 years | 9.05 years | 0.4843 years | UNICEF: North America |
| 2010s | 9.27 years | 9.05 years | 0.2171 years | South Africa |
| 2020s | 9.25 years | 8.9 years | 0.3482 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, South Africa or UNICEF: North America?
- South Africa, at 9.22 years against 8.77 years in UNICEF: North America as of 2023.
- What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes between South Africa and UNICEF: North America?
- 0.45 years, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and UNICEF: North America?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and UNICEF: North America rank globally for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 81st and UNICEF: North America ranks 83rd of 200 countries.
- 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