School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Uruguay
Uruguay: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 13.65 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
13.65 years
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
20th
of 213 countries
All-time high
13.66 years
in 2022
All-time low
9.87 years
in 1979
Years of data
52
1970–2023
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Uruguay, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Uruguay stood at 13.65 years.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Uruguay peaked at 13.66 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 9.87 years, in 1979.
That places Uruguay 20th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 10.44 years | — |
| 1971 | 10.58 years | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 10.55 years | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 10.68 years | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 10.24 years | -4.1% |
| 1975 | 9.96 years | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 10.01 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 9.98 years | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 9.93 years | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 9.87 years | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 11.22 years | +13.7% |
| 1982 | 10.68 years | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 10.63 years | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 10.73 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 10.85 years | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 10.95 years | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 10.96 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 11.22 years | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 11.4 years | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 11.6 years | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 11.65 years | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 11.6 years | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 11.59 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 11.61 years | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 11.76 years | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 12 years | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 12.47 years | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 12.6 years | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 12.48 years | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 12.7 years | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 13.07 years | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 13.36 years | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 13.25 years | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 12.84 years | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 12.85 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 12.27 years | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 11.99 years | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 12.05 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 12.56 years | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 12.75 years | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 12.76 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 12.84 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 12.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 13 years | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 13.16 years | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 13.35 years | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 13.26 years | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 13.36 years | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 13.27 years | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 13.57 years | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 13.66 years | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 13.65 years | -0.1% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 13.65 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.4 years, 1.1× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 13.65 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 11.3 years, 1.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.22 years | 9.87 years | 10.68 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.96 years | 10.63 years | 11.4 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 11.88 years | 11.59 years | 12.6 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 12.68 years | 11.99 years | 13.36 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.99 years | 12.56 years | 13.36 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.53 years | 13.27 years | 13.66 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More education data for Uruguay
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25,390 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,520 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 57,513 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 54,922 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 337,808 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 287,527 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.35 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0849 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Uruguay?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Uruguay was 13.65 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 13.66 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.87 years in 1979.
- How does Uruguay rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Uruguay ranks 20th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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