School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa
UNICEF: West and Central Africa: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female was 7.37 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
UNICEF: West and Central Africa recorded 7.37 years for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa peaked at 7.37 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.6 years, in 1998.
That places UNICEF: West and Central Africa 195th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4.6 years | — |
| 1999 | 4.73 years | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 4.92 years | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 4.93 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 5.05 years | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 5.21 years | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 5.52 years | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 5.7 years | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 5.85 years | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 5.75 years | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 5.82 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 6.02 years | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 6.18 years | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 6.42 years | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 6.61 years | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 6.87 years | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 6.82 years | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 6.77 years | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 6.74 years | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 6.81 years | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 6.86 years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 6.97 years | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 7.06 years | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 7.15 years | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 7.23 years | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 7.34 years | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 7.37 years | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.67 years | 4.6 years | 4.73 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.48 years | 4.92 years | 6.02 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.71 years | 6.18 years | 6.97 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.23 years | 7.06 years | 7.37 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: West and Central Africa
More education data for UNICEF: West and Central Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 4.92 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.41 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.9224 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 22.91 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5411 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 8.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.9535 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.20 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.73 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa was 7.37 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.37 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6 years in 1998.
- How does UNICEF: West and Central Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female?
- UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 195th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female rising or falling in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: West and Central Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release