School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) by country
February 2026 Data Release
Countries reporting
213
Highest
17.5 years
Vanuatu
Lowest
1.1 years
Somalia
Median
11.59 years
Years covered
56
1970–2025
Data points
16,437
What the numbers show
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) is currently reported for 213 countries. The highest value is 17.5 years in Vanuatu; the lowest is 1.1 years in Somalia.
The median across all reporting countries is 11.59 years, and the mean is 11.3 years.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 16.
Over the past decade 105 countries rose and 98 fell. The largest increase was in Gambia (up 71.8%), and the largest decrease in Equatorial Guinea (down 38.8%).
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanuatu | 17.5 years | 2023 | up 48.5% | rising |
| 2 | Monaco | 17.19 years | 2024 | down 3.9% | rising |
| 3 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 15.76 years | 2023 | up 11.9% | rising |
| 4 | Sierra Leone | 15.59 years | 2023 | up 56.7% | volatile |
| 5 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 15.35 years | 1995 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 6 | Australia | 14.61 years | 2024 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 7 | Belgium | 14.57 years | 2023 | down 5.4% | flat |
| 8 | Sweden | 14.51 years | 2024 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 9 | Denmark | 14.36 years | 2024 | down 4.2% | rising |
| 10 | Ireland | 14.35 years | 2022 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 11 | United States Virgin Islands | 14.34 years | 1993 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 12 | Finland | 14.22 years | 2024 | down 1.6% | rising |
| 13 | Iceland | 14.22 years | 2023 | down 7.5% | rising |
| 14 | Netherlands | 14.12 years | 2023 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 15 | United Kingdom | 13.91 years | 2023 | down 6.3% | rising |
| 16 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 13.87 years | 2024 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 17 | Norway | 13.84 years | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 18 | Portugal | 13.74 years | 2023 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 19 | New Zealand | 13.72 years | 2024 | down 2.5% | flat |
| 20 | Uruguay | 13.65 years | 2023 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 21 | Slovenia | 13.62 years | 2023 | down 0.1% | rising |
| 22 | Turkey | 13.56 years | 2023 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 23 | Fiji | 13.51 years | 2024 | up 12.1% | rising |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 13.45 years | 2024 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 25 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 13.43 years | 2024 | up 41.0% | flat |
| 26 | Cook Islands | 13.43 years | 2024 | up 11.2% | rising |
| 27 | Antigua and Barbuda | 13.37 years | 2023 | down 2.8% | rising |
| 28 | Liechtenstein | 13.32 years | 2021 | up 2.3% | flat |
| 29 | Guadeloupe | 13.3 years | 1995 | — | rising |
| 30 | Argentina | 13.27 years | 2023 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 31 | Spain | 13.21 years | 2024 | down 1.6% | flat |
| 32 | Italy | 13.18 years | 2023 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 33 | Switzerland | 13.13 years | 2024 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 34 | Niue | 13.12 years | 2024 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 35 | Albania | 13.1 years | 2024 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 36 | Eswatini | 13.07 years | 2016 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 37 | Germany | 13.05 years | 2024 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 38 | Tonga | 13.02 years | 2024 | down 5.3% | rising |
| 39 | Malta | 12.96 years | 2023 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 40 | Algeria | 12.92 years | 2024 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 41 | Poland | 12.88 years | 2024 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 42 | Namibia | 12.88 years | 2024 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 43 | Grenada | 12.86 years | 2024 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 44 | Czechia | 12.84 years | 2023 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 45 | Montserrat | 12.84 years | 2023 | down 0.7% | rising |
| 46 | Bhutan | 12.82 years | 2024 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 47 | Aruba | 12.81 years | 2024 | down 10.5% | rising |
| 48 | Montenegro | 12.81 years | 2023 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 49 | Saudi Arabia | 12.8 years | 2024 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 50 | Hong Kong | 12.76 years | 2024 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 51 | Tunisia | 12.7 years | 2016 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 52 | Samoa | 12.69 years | 2016 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 53 | Cyprus | 12.69 years | 2024 | up 7.9% | rising |
| 54 | Mauritius | 12.66 years | 2024 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 55 | Hungary | 12.56 years | 2024 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 56 | Slovakia | 12.53 years | 2024 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 57 | United Arab Emirates | 12.51 years | 2024 | up 27.0% | rising |
| 58 | Nepal | 12.51 years | 2024 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 59 | France | 12.46 years | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 60 | Croatia | 12.46 years | 2023 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 61 | Morocco | 12.44 years | 2024 | up 17.1% | rising |
| 62 | Brazil | 12.43 years | 2024 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 63 | Greece | 12.42 years | 2023 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 64 | Mexico | 12.39 years | 2024 | down 0.6% | rising |
| 65 | South Africa | 12.38 years | 2023 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 66 | Lithuania | 12.38 years | 2024 | down 1.6% | flat |
| 67 | Estonia | 12.38 years | 2024 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 68 | Gambia | 12.35 years | 2021 | up 71.8% | volatile |
| 69 | Rwanda | 12.28 years | 2024 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 70 | Libya | 12.28 years | 2006 | — | rising |
| 71 | Costa Rica | 12.25 years | 2024 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 72 | Chile | 12.25 years | 2024 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 73 | Brunei | 12.23 years | 2023 | down 8.7% | rising |
| 74 | Moldova | 12.22 years | 2024 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 75 | Peru | 12.18 years | 2024 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 76 | French Guiana | 12.18 years | 1996 | up 15.9% | rising |
| 77 | Japan | 12.16 years | 2023 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 78 | Palau | 12.14 years | 2024 | down 8.0% | flat |
| 79 | Tuvalu | 12.12 years | 2024 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 80 | Cape Verde | 12.1 years | 2022 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 81 | Dominica | 12.1 years | 2023 | down 5.0% | rising |
| 82 | Anguilla | 12.1 years | 2022 | down 6.4% | flat |
| 83 | Sao Tome and Principe | 12.08 years | 2017 | up 22.4% | rising |
| 84 | Kiribati | 12.07 years | 2024 | — | rising |
| 85 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 12.07 years | 2023 | up 0.3% | rising |
| 86 | Martinique | 12.07 years | 1996 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 87 | Georgia | 12.05 years | 2024 | down 6.5% | rising |
| 88 | Andorra | 12.03 years | 2024 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 89 | North Macedonia | 12.02 years | 2023 | up 4.1% | rising |
| 90 | Austria | 12.02 years | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 91 | Latvia | 11.98 years | 2024 | down 4.3% | flat |
| 92 | Indonesia | 11.89 years | 2025 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 93 | Canada | 11.87 years | 2023 | down 5.4% | flat |
| 94 | Micronesia (country) | 11.85 years | 2005 | — | falling |
| 95 | South Korea | 11.83 years | 2024 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 96 | East Timor | 11.8 years | 2020 | down 4.0% | rising |
| 97 | Israel | 11.79 years | 2024 | down 0.9% | flat |
| 98 | Kuwait | 11.77 years | 2015 | down 9.8% | rising |
| 99 | Vietnam | 11.75 years | 2022 | up 2.2% | rising |
| 100 | Bahrain | 11.74 years | 2024 | down 6.0% | rising |
| 101 | China | 11.73 years | 2012 | up 21.4% | rising |
| 102 | Venezuela | 11.72 years | 2024 | up 10.6% | rising |
| 103 | Uzbekistan | 11.67 years | 2025 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 104 | Trinidad and Tobago | 11.65 years | 2024 | — | rising |
| 105 | United States | 11.65 years | 2022 | down 0.6% | rising |
| 106 | Qatar | 11.63 years | 2024 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 107 | Sri Lanka | 11.59 years | 2023 | down 7.1% | rising |
| 108 | New Caledonia | 11.56 years | 1991 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 109 | Gibraltar | 11.55 years | 2024 | down 5.8% | rising |
| 110 | Thailand | 11.54 years | 2025 | down 13.9% | rising |
| 111 | Mongolia | 11.52 years | 2023 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 112 | Ecuador | 11.47 years | 2023 | down 7.6% | rising |
| 113 | Togo | 11.42 years | 2023 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 114 | Jordan | 11.4 years | 2024 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 115 | Marshall Islands | 11.39 years | 2024 | down 2.1% | rising |
| 116 | Bulgaria | 11.38 years | 2024 | down 5.7% | flat |
| 117 | Cote d'Ivoire | 11.37 years | 2024 | up 46.6% | rising |
| 118 | Cuba | 11.36 years | 2024 | down 5.1% | rising |
| 119 | Turkmenistan | 11.35 years | 2024 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 120 | Armenia | 11.34 years | 2024 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 121 | Nauru | 11.34 years | 2025 | down 2.6% | rising |
| 122 | Colombia | 11.3 years | 2022 | down 4.3% | flat |
| 123 | Zambia | 11.22 years | 2024 | — | rising |
| 124 | Oman | 11.21 years | 2024 | down 12.1% | rising |
| 125 | Iran | 11.2 years | 2023 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 126 | India | 11.2 years | 2025 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 127 | Saint Lucia | 11.18 years | 2024 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 128 | Bolivia | 11.1 years | 2024 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 129 | Kazakhstan | 11.07 years | 2025 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 130 | Serbia | 11.06 years | 2024 | down 4.9% | flat |
| 131 | French Polynesia | 11.04 years | 1993 | — | flat |
| 132 | Belize | 11.01 years | 2024 | down 5.1% | rising |
| 133 | Macao | 10.99 years | 2024 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 134 | Egypt | 10.9 years | 2024 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 135 | Botswana | 10.85 years | 2021 | down 6.8% | rising |
| 136 | Cayman Islands | 10.82 years | 2024 | down 3.7% | flat |
| 137 | Maldives | 10.8 years | 2023 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 138 | Kenya | 10.8 years | 2023 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 139 | Philippines | 10.79 years | 2024 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 140 | Bermuda | 10.78 years | 2023 | down 9.6% | flat |
| 141 | Azerbaijan | 10.77 years | 2024 | down 4.2% | flat |
| 142 | Romania | 10.77 years | 2023 | down 7.8% | flat |
| 143 | Palestine | 10.74 years | 2023 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 144 | Dominican Republic | 10.7 years | 2024 | down 5.4% | rising |
| 145 | Ghana | 10.65 years | 2024 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 146 | Myanmar | 10.63 years | 2018 | up 26.5% | rising |
| 147 | Solomon Islands | 10.59 years | 2012 | up 39.1% | rising |
| 148 | Papua New Guinea | 10.58 years | 2023 | up 25.1% | rising |
| 149 | Belarus | 10.54 years | 2024 | down 5.9% | rising |
| 150 | Seychelles | 10.54 years | 2024 | down 21.9% | rising |
| 151 | Malawi | 10.52 years | 2023 | down 4.9% | rising |
| 152 | Lesotho | 10.44 years | 2017 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 153 | Gabon | 10.44 years | 2019 | — | rising |
| 154 | Guyana | 10.41 years | 2024 | down 9.3% | rising |
| 155 | Iraq | 10.41 years | 2023 | up 12.9% | rising |
| 156 | Paraguay | 10.39 years | 2024 | down 13.0% | rising |
| 157 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 10.39 years | 2023 | up 21.8% | rising |
| 158 | Panama | 10.34 years | 2017 | down 3.2% | rising |
| 159 | Kyrgyzstan | 10.33 years | 2025 | up 2.4% | flat |
| 160 | Russia | 10.32 years | 2023 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 161 | Afghanistan | 10.32 years | 2023 | up 4.8% | volatile |
| 162 | Zimbabwe | 10.23 years | 2013 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 163 | Malaysia | 10.21 years | 2024 | down 5.6% | rising |
| 164 | Puerto Rico | 10.21 years | 2024 | down 11.0% | flat |
| 165 | Bahamas | 10.18 years | 2024 | down 8.4% | falling |
| 166 | Uganda | 10.18 years | 2007 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 167 | Singapore | 10.14 years | 2023 | down 1.9% | rising |
| 168 | Nicaragua | 10.13 years | 2023 | down 6.3% | rising |
| 169 | Barbados | 10.12 years | 2024 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 170 | Cameroon | 10.09 years | 2023 | down 6.2% | rising |
| 171 | Cambodia | 10.04 years | 2024 | up 12.1% | rising |
| 172 | Mozambique | 10.03 years | 2017 | up 12.2% | rising |
| 173 | Congo | 10.02 years | 2012 | up 17.3% | flat |
| 174 | Jamaica | 9.97 years | 2024 | up 0.6% | falling |
| 175 | Comoros | 9.89 years | 2022 | down 11.9% | rising |
| 176 | Bangladesh | 9.83 years | 2024 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 177 | Tajikistan | 9.76 years | 2013 | up 4.3% | flat |
| 178 | British Virgin Islands | 9.75 years | 2024 | down 17.2% | falling |
| 179 | Ukraine | 9.72 years | 2024 | down 9.0% | flat |
| 180 | Madagascar | 9.56 years | 2021 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 181 | San Marino | 9.5 years | 2024 | down 2.1% | rising |
| 182 | Benin | 9.47 years | 2022 | down 6.0% | rising |
| 183 | El Salvador | 9.34 years | 2024 | down 13.0% | rising |
| 184 | Suriname | 9.18 years | 2023 | down 19.1% | rising |
| 185 | Guatemala | 9.08 years | 2024 | down 5.0% | rising |
| 186 | Guinea-Bissau | 8.9 years | 2006 | up 56.3% | rising |
| 187 | Lebanon | 8.73 years | 2024 | up 5.8% | flat |
| 188 | Angola | 8.61 years | 2023 | down 12.2% | rising |
| 189 | Tanzania | 8.6 years | 2021 | down 4.4% | rising |
| 190 | Guinea | 8.45 years | 2014 | up 31.1% | rising |
| 191 | Mauritania | 8.35 years | 2020 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 192 | Senegal | 8.22 years | 2023 | down 4.1% | rising |
| 193 | Nigeria | 8.22 years | 2023 | down 4.0% | rising |
| 194 | Laos | 8.21 years | 2025 | down 18.8% | rising |
| 195 | Burundi | 7.93 years | 2025 | down 24.9% | volatile |
| 196 | Ethiopia | 7.74 years | 2015 | up 26.6% | volatile |
| 197 | Eritrea | 7.68 years | 2022 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 198 | Pakistan | 7.62 years | 2024 | up 29.9% | rising |
| 199 | Honduras | 7.53 years | 2024 | down 9.8% | rising |
| 200 | Liberia | 7.41 years | 2020 | down 22.9% | rising |
| 201 | Syria | 7.33 years | 2024 | up 10.3% | flat |
| 202 | Yemen | 7.3 years | 2016 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 203 | Chad | 7.05 years | 2024 | down 5.9% | rising |
| 204 | Tokelau | 6.96 years | 2025 | down 26.4% | falling |
| 205 | Burkina Faso | 6.89 years | 2024 | down 6.4% | volatile |
| 206 | Central African Republic | 6.79 years | 2016 | up 20.3% | rising |
| 207 | Haiti | 6.66 years | 1986 | up 49.0% | rising |
| 208 | Mali | 6.66 years | 2023 | up 1.7% | volatile |
| 209 | Sudan | 6.62 years | 2019 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 210 | Djibouti | 6.11 years | 2023 | — | rising |
| 211 | Niger | 5.24 years | 2024 | down 7.9% | volatile |
| 212 | Equatorial Guinea | 4.7 years | 2005 | down 38.8% | flat |
| 213 | Somalia | 1.1 years | 2023 | — | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- SDG: Australia and New Zealand 14.55 years
- UNICEF: Western Europe 13.25 years
- ECE: Euro Area (e25) (unsdcode:98204) 13.08 years
- WB: Euro Area 13.07 years
- ECE: European Union (emu) (unsdcode:98203) 12.97 years
- WB: European Union 12.97 years
- ESCAP: Europe (europe) (unsdcode:98423) 12.82 years
- UNICEF: Gulf Area 12.69 years
- ESCWA: Maghreb Subregion (unsdcode:98504) 12.69 years
- ESCAP: Wb High Income Economies (wb_high) (unsdcode:98436) 12.64 years
- ESCAP: Pacific (pac) (unsdcode:98418) 12.5 years
- AIMS: Pacific 12.5 years
- SDG: Oceania 12.5 years
- WB: Oecd Members 12.5 years
- ALECSO: Gulf Countries 12.5 years
- ESCWA: Gulf Cooperation Council (gcc) (unsdcode:98502) 12.5 years
- UIS: North America and Western Europe 12.47 years
- ALECSO: Maghreb Countries 12.44 years
- ECA: Amu (unsdcode:98111) 12.44 years
- WB: Post-demographic Dividend 12.37 years
- WB: Central Europe and the Baltics 12.3 years
- SDG: Europe 12.29 years
- WB: High Income (july 2025) 12.23 years
- MDG: Developed Regions 12.14 years
- SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand 12.14 years
- UNICEF: Europe and Central Asia 12.12 years
- WB: Europe & Central Asia 12.12 years
- SDG: Europe and Northern America 12.06 years
- WB: Pacific Island Small States 12.06 years
- ECE: West Balkans (st7) (unsdcode:98205) 12.01 years
- ECE: All Countries (unsdcode:98200) 11.99 years
- ECLAC: Latin America (unsdcode:98302) 11.94 years
- WB: Latin America & Caribbean (excluding High Income) 11.94 years
- WB: Latin America & Caribbean (ida & Ibrd) 11.93 years
- MDG: Latin America 11.93 years
- ECLAC: All Countries (unsdcode:98300) 11.93 years
- ESCAP: Latin America (lac) (unsdcode:98424) 11.93 years
- MDG: Latin America and the Caribbean 11.93 years
- SDG: Latin America and the Caribbean 11.93 years
- WB: Latin America & Caribbean 11.93 years
About this data
February 2026 Data Release