School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia

SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes was 8.16 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
8.16 years
Change on year
down 0.5%
Rank
145th
of 221 groups
All-time high
8.2 years
in 2023
All-time low
7.09 years
in 1995
Years of data
31
1994–2024

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, 1994–2024

024681994200920241994: 7.2 years1995: 7.1 years1996: 7.2 years1997: 7.2 years1998: 7.3 years1999: 7.4 years2000: 7.4 years2001: 7.5 years2002: 7.6 years2003: 7.6 years2004: 7.7 years2005: 7.9 years2006: 7.9 years2007: 8 years2008: 7.9 years2009: 8 years2010: 8.1 years2011: 8.1 years2012: 8.2 years2013: 8 years2014: 8 years2015: 8 years2016: 8 years2017: 8.1 years2018: 8.1 years2019: 8.2 years2020: 8.2 years2021: 8.1 years2022: 8.1 years2023: 8.2 years2024: 8.2 years

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia recorded 8.16 years for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia peaked at 8.2 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.09 years, in 1995.

That places SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia 145th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes (years) in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia, 1994 to 2024.
Year years Change
1994 7.17 years
1995 7.09 years -1.2%
1996 7.17 years +1.2%
1997 7.23 years +0.8%
1998 7.29 years +0.8%
1999 7.38 years +1.3%
2000 7.43 years +0.7%
2001 7.54 years +1.4%
2002 7.62 years +1.1%
2003 7.62 years -0.0%
2004 7.66 years +0.6%
2005 7.89 years +3.0%
2006 7.94 years +0.6%
2007 8.01 years +0.8%
2008 7.94 years -0.9%
2009 8 years +0.8%
2010 8.06 years +0.7%
2011 8.07 years +0.2%
2012 8.17 years +1.2%
2013 8.01 years -1.9%
2014 7.99 years -0.2%
2015 7.99 years -0.0%
2016 8.02 years +0.4%
2017 8.06 years +0.4%
2018 8.11 years +0.7%
2019 8.16 years +0.6%
2020 8.19 years +0.4%
2021 8.14 years -0.6%
2022 8.09 years -0.5%
2023 8.2 years +1.3%
2024 8.16 years -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.22 years 7.09 years 7.38 years 6
2000s 7.77 years 7.43 years 8.01 years 10
2010s 8.06 years 7.99 years 8.17 years 10
2020s 8.15 years 8.09 years 8.2 years 5

Countries ranked near SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia

  1. 142 Palau 8.31 years compare
  2. 143 Marshall Islands 8.31 years compare
  3. 144 India 8.28 years compare
  4. 145 Sri Lanka 8.27 years compare
  5. 146 Panama 8.27 years compare
  6. 147 Türkiye 8.25 years compare
  7. 148 Gambia 8.22 years compare

See the full ranking of 421 places →

More education data for SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia

All data for SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia was 8.16 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
The highest recorded value was 8.2 years in 2023.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 7.09 years in 1995.
How does SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia ranks 145th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia 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 SDG: Northern Africa and Western Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-and-lower-secondary-both-sexes-years-2/sdg-northern-africa-and-western-asia/

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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