School life expectancy, primary and lower … life both sexes lower in India
India: School life expectancy, primary and lower … life both sexes lower was 8.28 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in India, 1994–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in India is 8.28 years, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in India peaked at 8.74 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.35 years, in 1999.
That places India 144th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and lower … life both sexes lower in India, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 6.53 years | — |
| 1995 | 6.47 years | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 6.64 years | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 6.57 years | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 6.35 years | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 6.82 years | +7.5% |
| 2001 | 6.73 years | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 6.83 years | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 7.31 years | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 8.02 years | +9.7% |
| 2008 | 8.08 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 7.95 years | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 8.09 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 8.05 years | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 8.18 years | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 8.3 years | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 8.28 years | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 8.33 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 8.68 years | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 8.6 years | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 7.75 years | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 7.64 years | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 7.79 years | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 7.89 years | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 8.4 years | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 8.36 years | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 8.74 years | +4.5% |
| 2025 | 8.28 years | -5.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 8.28 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.68 years, 95% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 8.28 years is below the median for South Asia, which is 8.85 years, 94% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.51 years | 6.35 years | 6.64 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 7.39 years | 6.73 years | 8.08 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 8.19 years | 7.64 years | 8.68 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.24 years | 7.79 years | 8.74 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in India?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in India was 8.28 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 8.74 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.35 years in 1999.
- How does India rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
- India ranks 144th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release