School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in United States of America
United States of America: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 11.65 years in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
11.65 years
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
105th
of 213 countries
All-time high
12.08 years
in 1990
All-time low
10.31 years
in 1979
Years of data
36
1971–2022
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in United States of America, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 11.65 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in United States of America peaked at 12.08 years in 1990 and was at its lowest, 10.31 years, in 1979.
United States of America ranks 105th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in United States of America, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 10.33 years | — |
| 1972 | 10.38 years | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 10.55 years | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 10.47 years | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 10.61 years | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 10.61 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 10.64 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 10.31 years | -3.1% |
| 1980 | 11.7 years | +13.5% |
| 1981 | 11.69 years | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 12.04 years | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 12 years | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 12.01 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 11.89 years | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 11.94 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 11.94 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 12.08 years | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 11.94 years | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 11.97 years | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 11.96 years | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 11.9 years | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 11.85 years | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 11.8 years | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 11.79 years | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 11.7 years | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 11.79 years | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 11.72 years | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 11.78 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 11.87 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 12 years | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 12.04 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 12.02 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 12.04 years | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 12.03 years | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 11.96 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 11.65 years | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.49 years | 10.31 years | 10.64 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 11.9 years | 11.69 years | 12.04 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 11.91 years | 11.79 years | 12.08 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 11.75 years | 11.7 years | 11.79 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 11.92 years | 11.72 years | 12.04 years | 7 |
| 2020s | 11.88 years | 11.65 years | 12.03 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 102 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11.72 years compare
- 103 Uzbekistan 11.67 years compare
- 104 Trinidad and Tobago 11.65 years compare
- 106 Qatar 11.63 years compare
- 107 Sri Lanka 11.59 years compare
- 108 New Caledonia 11.56 years compare
More education data for United States of America
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in United States of America?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in United States of America was 11.65 years in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 12.08 years in 1990.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.31 years in 1979.
- How does United States of America rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- United States of America ranks 105th out of 213 countries with data for 2022.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release