School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Guatemala
Guatemala: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 9.08 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
9.08 years
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
185th
of 213 countries
All-time high
10.29 years
in 2010
All-time low
4.11 years
in 1971
Years of data
49
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Guatemala, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Guatemala stood at 9.08 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Guatemala peaked at 10.29 years in 2010 and was at its lowest, 4.11 years, in 1971.
That places Guatemala 185th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.11 years | — |
| 1971 | 4.11 years | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 4.25 years | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 4.16 years | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 4.43 years | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 4.56 years | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 4.54 years | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 4.76 years | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 5.24 years | +10.2% |
| 1979 | 5.45 years | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 5.61 years | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 5.9 years | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 5.62 years | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 5.92 years | +5.4% |
| 1984 | 5.93 years | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 5.97 years | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 6.01 years | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 6.31 years | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 6.71 years | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 6.72 years | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 6.8 years | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 6.76 years | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 6.81 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 7.06 years | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 7.58 years | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 7.92 years | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 8.09 years | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 8.44 years | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 8.93 years | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 9.11 years | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 9.27 years | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 9.41 years | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 9.56 years | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 10.08 years | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 10.29 years | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 10.22 years | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 9.99 years | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 9.83 years | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 9.56 years | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 9.58 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 9.48 years | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 9.43 years | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 9.46 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 9.32 years | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 9.23 years | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 9.09 years | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 8.95 years | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 8.98 years | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 9.08 years | +1.2% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 9.08 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.53 years, 79% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 9.08 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 11.3 years, 80% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.56 years | 4.11 years | 5.45 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.85 years | 5.61 years | 6.01 years | 7 |
| 1990s | 6.84 years | 6.31 years | 7.58 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 8.98 years | 7.92 years | 10.08 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.72 years | 9.32 years | 10.29 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.07 years | 8.95 years | 9.23 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More education data for Guatemala
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 122,548 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 247,917 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 335,306 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 328,468 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.3948 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1317 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Guatemala?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Guatemala was 9.08 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 10.29 years in 2010.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.11 years in 1971.
- How does Guatemala rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Guatemala ranks 185th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala 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 — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release