Eswatini vs South Africa: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes
Eswatini
8.16 years
in 2023
South Africa
7.12 years
in 2023
Eswatini rank
9th
South Africa rank
25th
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes over time
- Eswatini
- South Africa
How they compare
Eswatini currently reports 8.16 years against 7.12 years in South Africa, a difference of 1.04 years.
That makes Eswatini's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.
Eswatini ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 25th of 218 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Eswatini averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eswatini | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.62 years | 6.43 years | 0.1852 years | Eswatini |
| 1980s | 7.01 years | 5.93 years | 1.08 years | Eswatini |
| 1990s | 6.88 years | 7.23 years | 0.3466 years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 7.48 years | 6.82 years | 0.6557 years | Eswatini |
| 2010s | 8.76 years | 7.25 years | 1.51 years | Eswatini |
| 2020s | 8.2 years | 7.15 years | 1.05 years | Eswatini |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school life expectancy, primary, both sexes, Eswatini or South Africa?
- Eswatini, at 8.16 years against 7.12 years in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary, both sexes between Eswatini and South Africa?
- 1.04 years, with Eswatini ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eswatini and South Africa?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
- How do Eswatini and South Africa rank globally for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Eswatini ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 25th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School life expectancy, primary, 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