School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 10.56 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
10.56 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
114th
of 221 groups
All-time high
10.87 years
in 2015
All-time low
6.79 years
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) is 10.56 years, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 10.87 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.79 years, in 1971.
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 114th of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.86 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.79 years | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 6.87 years | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 6.98 years | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 7.03 years | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 7.09 years | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 7.15 years | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 7.19 years | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 7.04 years | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 7.22 years | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 7.51 years | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 7.64 years | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 7.66 years | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 7.57 years | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 7.52 years | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 7.44 years | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 7.5 years | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 7.47 years | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 7.39 years | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 8.05 years | +8.9% |
| 1990 | 8.03 years | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 8.24 years | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 8.32 years | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 8.34 years | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 8.43 years | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 8.66 years | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 8.52 years | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 8.45 years | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 8.46 years | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 8.56 years | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 8.4 years | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 8.65 years | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 8.8 years | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 8.96 years | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 9.2 years | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 9.48 years | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 9.68 years | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 9.91 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 10.22 years | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 10.23 years | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 10.38 years | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 10.54 years | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 10.6 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 10.76 years | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 10.84 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 10.87 years | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 10.74 years | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 10.68 years | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 10.61 years | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 10.64 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 10.62 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 10.61 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 10.55 years | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 10.53 years | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 10.56 years | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.02 years | 6.79 years | 7.22 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.57 years | 7.39 years | 8.05 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.4 years | 8.03 years | 8.66 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.35 years | 8.4 years | 10.23 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.67 years | 10.38 years | 10.87 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.57 years | 10.53 years | 10.62 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 2.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 2.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.8034 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 875,127 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.7424 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 10.56 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 10.87 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.79 years in 1971.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 114th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 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
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release