School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World

MDG: World: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes was 8.43 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
8.43 years
Change on year
up 0.8%
Rank
116th
of 221 groups
All-time high
8.43 years
in 2024
All-time low
7.2 years
in 1996
Years of data
29
1996–2024

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World, 1996–2024

024681996201020241996: 7.2 years1997: 7.2 years1998: 7.2 years1999: 7.3 years2000: 7.3 years2001: 7.4 years2002: 7.5 years2003: 7.6 years2004: 7.8 years2005: 7.9 years2006: 8 years2007: 8 years2008: 8.1 years2009: 8.1 years2010: 8.1 years2011: 8.2 years2012: 8.3 years2013: 8.4 years2014: 8.3 years2015: 8.3 years2016: 8.4 years2017: 8.4 years2018: 8.3 years2019: 8.3 years2020: 8.3 years2021: 8.3 years2022: 8.3 years2023: 8.4 years2024: 8.4 years

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World is 8.43 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World peaked at 8.43 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.2 years, in 1996.

MDG: World ranks 116th of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes (years) in MDG: World, 1996 to 2024.
Year years Change
1996 7.2 years
1997 7.22 years +0.3%
1998 7.22 years +0.0%
1999 7.29 years +0.9%
2000 7.33 years +0.6%
2001 7.36 years +0.5%
2002 7.48 years +1.6%
2003 7.64 years +2.2%
2004 7.76 years +1.6%
2005 7.88 years +1.5%
2006 7.97 years +1.1%
2007 8.05 years +1.0%
2008 8.07 years +0.3%
2009 8.08 years +0.2%
2010 8.15 years +0.8%
2011 8.17 years +0.3%
2012 8.34 years +2.1%
2013 8.37 years +0.4%
2014 8.3 years -0.8%
2015 8.28 years -0.3%
2016 8.37 years +1.1%
2017 8.37 years -0.0%
2018 8.25 years -1.4%
2019 8.25 years +0.0%
2020 8.3 years +0.6%
2021 8.27 years -0.4%
2022 8.35 years +1.0%
2023 8.36 years +0.1%
2024 8.43 years +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.23 years 7.2 years 7.29 years 4
2000s 7.76 years 7.33 years 8.08 years 10
2010s 8.29 years 8.15 years 8.37 years 10
2020s 8.34 years 8.27 years 8.43 years 5

Countries ranked near MDG: World

  1. 113 United States 8.79 years compare
  2. 114 Kiribati 8.78 years compare
  3. 115 Ghana 8.76 years compare
  4. 116 Ecuador 8.74 years compare
  5. 117 Qatar 8.72 years compare
  6. 118 Cuba 8.71 years compare
  7. 119 Cambodia 8.71 years compare

See the full ranking of 421 places →

More education data for MDG: World

All data for MDG: World →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World?
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World was 8.43 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
The highest recorded value was 8.43 years in 2024.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
The lowest recorded value was 7.2 years in 1996.
How does MDG: World rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
MDG: World ranks 116th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: World?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this MDG: World 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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School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in MDG: World. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-and-lower-secondary-both-sexes-years-2/mdg-world/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
421 places, 10,349 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release