School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Australia
Australia: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 14.61 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Australia, 2015–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Australia is 14.61 years, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Australia peaked at 16.07 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 14.61 years, in 2024.
That places Australia 6th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16.07 years | — |
| 2016 | 15.83 years | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 15.68 years | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 14.77 years | -5.8% |
| 2019 | 15.19 years | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 14.9 years | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 14.89 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 14.73 years | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 14.73 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 14.61 years | -0.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 14.61 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.4 years, 1.2× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Australia's 14.61 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.75 years, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.51 years | 14.77 years | 16.07 years | 5 |
| 2020s | 14.77 years | 14.61 years | 14.9 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 3 Saint Kitts and Nevis 15.76 years compare
- 4 Sierra Leone 15.59 years compare
- 5 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 15.35 years
- 7 Belgium 14.57 years compare
- 8 Sweden 14.51 years compare
- 9 Denmark 14.36 years compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Australia?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Australia was 14.61 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 16.07 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.61 years in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release