School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)
ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105): School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 8.42 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
8.42 years
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
208th
of 221 groups
All-time high
8.42 years
in 2024
All-time low
2.99 years
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105), 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: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) is 8.42 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) peaked at 8.42 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.99 years, in 1970.
ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) ranks 208th of 221 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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: West Africa (unsdcode:98105), year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.99 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.1 years | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 3.26 years | +5.1% |
| 1973 | 3.37 years | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 3.37 years | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 3.4 years | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 3.45 years | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 3.88 years | +12.5% |
| 1978 | 4.49 years | +15.7% |
| 1979 | 5.05 years | +12.6% |
| 1980 | 5.38 years | +6.5% |
| 1981 | 5.78 years | +7.5% |
| 1982 | 6.25 years | +8.1% |
| 1983 | 6.4 years | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 6.47 years | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.28 years | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 5.6 years | -10.8% |
| 1987 | 5.48 years | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 5.33 years | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 5.23 years | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 5.32 years | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 5.36 years | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 5.5 years | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 5.65 years | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 5.71 years | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 5.64 years | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 5.36 years | -5.0% |
| 1997 | 5.63 years | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 5.87 years | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 6.15 years | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 6.41 years | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 6.32 years | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 6.56 years | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 6.73 years | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 7.15 years | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 7.29 years | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 7.4 years | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 7.05 years | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 7 years | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 7.27 years | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 7.52 years | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 7.77 years | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 7.96 years | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 8.41 years | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 8 years | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 7.95 years | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 7.84 years | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 7.9 years | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 7.88 years | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 8.04 years | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 8.15 years | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 8.19 years | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 8.27 years | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 8.41 years | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 8.42 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.64 years | 2.99 years | 5.05 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.82 years | 5.23 years | 6.47 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.62 years | 5.32 years | 6.15 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.92 years | 6.32 years | 7.4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.93 years | 7.52 years | 8.41 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.29 years | 8.15 years | 8.42 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)
More education data for ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 3.80 million (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 6.66 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.54 million (2020)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 947,845 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 873,576 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.35 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 15.86 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5935 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 2.26 million (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) was 8.42 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- The highest recorded value was 8.42 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.99 years in 1970.
- How does ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) ranks 208th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: West Africa (unsdcode:98105) 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