School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (life) in Gambia
Gambia: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (life) was 13.27 years in 2021. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Gambia, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2021, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Gambia stood at 13.27 years. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 84.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Gambia peaked at 13.27 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.03 years, in 1971.
That places Gambia 28th out of 208 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (life) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.03 years | — |
| 1973 | 1.12 years | +8.4% |
| 1974 | 1.16 years | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 1.26 years | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 1.33 years | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 1.39 years | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 1.47 years | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 1.61 years | +9.1% |
| 1980 | 1.83 years | +13.6% |
| 1981 | 2.22 years | +21.4% |
| 1983 | 2.66 years | +20.2% |
| 1984 | 2.94 years | +10.4% |
| 1985 | 3.1 years | +5.4% |
| 1986 | 3.13 years | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 3.13 years | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 2.85 years | -8.7% |
| 1992 | 3.23 years | +13.3% |
| 1993 | 3.41 years | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 3.52 years | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 3.74 years | +6.3% |
| 1996 | 4.05 years | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 7.16 years | +76.9% |
| 2008 | 7.23 years | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 7.25 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 7.19 years | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 13.27 years | +84.7% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 13.27 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.45 years, 1.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 13.27 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.72 years, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (life) in Gambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +84.7% | 7.19 years | 13.27 years |
| 2007 | +76.9% | 4.05 years | 7.16 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.3 years | 1.03 years | 1.61 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 2.73 years | 1.83 years | 3.13 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 3.59 years | 3.23 years | 4.05 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 7.21 years | 7.16 years | 7.25 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 7.19 years | 7.19 years | 7.19 years | 1 |
| 2020s | 13.27 years | 13.27 years | 13.27 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Gambia?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Gambia was 13.27 years in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.27 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.03 years in 1971.
- How does Gambia rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female?
- Gambia ranks 28th out of 208 countries with data for 2021.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 84.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release