School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in India
India: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes 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 secondary, both sexes 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% |
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
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.19 million (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release