School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Australia
Australia: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.96 years in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
6.96 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
30th
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.43 years
in 2013
All-time low
6.93 years
in 2022
Years of data
25
2000–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Australia, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Australia stood at 6.96 years.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Australia peaked at 7.43 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 6.93 years, in 2022.
Australia ranks 30th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.12 years | — |
| 2001 | 7.1 years | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 7.16 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 7.18 years | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 7.21 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 7.22 years | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 7.23 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 7.35 years | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 7.35 years | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 7.35 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7.38 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 7.38 years | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 7.41 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 7.43 years | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 7.42 years | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 7.14 years | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 7.11 years | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 7.07 years | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 7.04 years | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 7.02 years | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 6.99 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 6.99 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6.93 years | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 6.94 years | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 6.96 years | +0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 6.96 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.86 years, 1.2× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 6.96 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.23 years | 7.1 years | 7.35 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.24 years | 7.02 years | 7.43 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.96 years | 6.93 years | 6.99 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Australia?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Australia was 6.96 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.43 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.93 years in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Australia ranks 30th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release