Switzerland vs United States of America: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes

Switzerland
16.41 years
in 2018
United States of America
16.28 years
in 2018
Switzerland rank
30th
United States of America rank
32nd

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes over time

  • Switzerland
  • United States of America
051015197119942018

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 16.41 years against 16.28 years in United States of America, a difference of 0.13 years.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1978 it was United States of America ahead.

Switzerland ranks 30th and United States of America ranks 32nd of 183 countries.

United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Switzerland United States of America Difference Ahead
1970s 12.39 years 13.04 years 0.6441 years United States of America
1980s 12.67 years 14.44 years 1.77 years United States of America
1990s 14.33 years 15.78 years 1.45 years United States of America
2000s 15.27 years 15.64 years 0.3716 years United States of America
2010s 16.04 years 16.19 years 0.1506 years United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes, Switzerland or United States of America?
Switzerland, at 16.41 years against 16.28 years in United States of America as of 2018.
What is the difference in school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes between Switzerland and United States of America?
0.13 years, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States of America?
36 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2018.
How do Switzerland and United States of America rank globally for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
Switzerland ranks 30th and United States of America ranks 32nd of 183 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Switzerland vs United States of America: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-both-sexes-years/switzerland/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
228 places, 7,038 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.