School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes was 8.27 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1995–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 8.27 years for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in 2023.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 11.51 years in 1995 and was at its lowest, 8.16 years, in 2009.
Sri Lanka ranks 145th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 11.51 years | — |
| 1998 | 9.21 years | -20.0% |
| 2001 | 8.85 years | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 8.8 years | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 8.76 years | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 8.4 years | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 8.62 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 8.55 years | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 8.46 years | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 8.38 years | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 8.16 years | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 8.65 years | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 8.69 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 8.73 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 8.78 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 8.76 years | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 8.69 years | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 8.65 years | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 8.62 years | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 8.61 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 8.62 years | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 8.61 years | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 8.55 years | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 8.41 years | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 8.27 years | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.36 years | 9.21 years | 11.51 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.55 years | 8.16 years | 8.85 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.68 years | 8.61 years | 8.78 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.46 years | 8.27 years | 8.61 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.4555 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 73,333 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.32 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.29 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.5206 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.25 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.3876 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 439,099 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.72 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 8.27 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11.51 years in 1995.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.16 years in 2009.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 145th out of 200 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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