School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in India
India: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 10.01 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in India, 1971–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in India is 10.01 years, measured in 2019.
The figure is down 7.2% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in India peaked at 10.98 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.59 years, in 1971.
That places India 150th out of 197 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in India, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 5.59 years | — |
| 1972 | 5.67 years | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 5.85 years | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 5.92 years | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 5.92 years | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 6.09 years | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 5.93 years | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 6.14 years | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 6.32 years | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 6.46 years | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 6.7 years | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 6.87 years | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 7.12 years | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 6.98 years | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 7.05 years | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 7.21 years | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 7.83 years | +8.6% |
| 1994 | 7.91 years | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 7.87 years | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 7.86 years | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 7.88 years | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 7.59 years | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 7.81 years | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 7.83 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 7.99 years | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 8.57 years | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 9.48 years | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 9.73 years | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 9.62 years | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 9.84 years | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 10.03 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 10.29 years | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 10.33 years | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 10.57 years | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 10.59 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 10.98 years | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 10.79 years | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 10.01 years | -7.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.85 years | 5.59 years | 6.09 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 6.76 years | 6.14 years | 7.21 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 7.82 years | 7.59 years | 7.91 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 8.72 years | 7.81 years | 9.73 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.38 years | 9.84 years | 10.98 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.19 million (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 111.03 (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 111.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in India?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in India was 10.01 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 10.98 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.59 years in 1971.
- How does India rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- India ranks 150th out of 197 countries with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.