School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) was 14.33 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in United Kingdom, 1971–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 14.33 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in United Kingdom peaked at 14.95 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 11.58 years, in 1973.
United Kingdom ranks 9th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 11.6 years | — |
| 1972 | 11.6 years | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 11.58 years | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 11.93 years | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 11.95 years | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 11.98 years | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 12.01 years | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 11.98 years | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 11.99 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 12.03 years | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 12.06 years | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 12.08 years | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 12.1 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 12.16 years | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 12.12 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 12.4 years | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 12.42 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 12.36 years | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 12.36 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 12.44 years | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 12.59 years | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 12.72 years | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 13 years | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 13.16 years | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 13.21 years | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 13.19 years | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 13.25 years | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 13.28 years | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 13.81 years | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 13.89 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 13.31 years | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 13.08 years | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 13.23 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 13.29 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 13.45 years | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 12.85 years | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 12.76 years | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 14.95 years | +17.2% |
| 2014 | 14.83 years | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 14.66 years | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 14.65 years | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 14.33 years | -2.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 14.33 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.41 years, 1.2× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 14.33 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.26 years, 1.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.85 years | 11.58 years | 12.01 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 12.21 years | 12.03 years | 12.42 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.78 years | 12.44 years | 13.16 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 13.35 years | 13.08 years | 13.89 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.06 years | 12.76 years | 14.95 years | 8 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in United Kingdom?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in United Kingdom was 14.33 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 14.95 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.58 years in 1973.
- How does United Kingdom rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female?
- United Kingdom ranks 9th out of 193 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
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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.