School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Benin
Benin: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.43 years in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
6.43 years
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
57th
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.27 years
in 2015
All-time low
1.9 years
in 1971
Years of data
51
1971–2022
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Benin, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Benin is 6.43 years, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Benin peaked at 7.27 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.9 years, in 1971.
Benin ranks 57th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Benin, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.9 years | — |
| 1972 | 2.06 years | +8.2% |
| 1973 | 2.27 years | +10.1% |
| 1974 | 2.19 years | -3.5% |
| 1975 | 2.55 years | +16.4% |
| 1976 | 2.64 years | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 2.76 years | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 2.82 years | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 3.16 years | +12.2% |
| 1980 | 3.24 years | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 3.34 years | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 3.58 years | +7.1% |
| 1983 | 3.68 years | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 3.69 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 3.69 years | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 3.58 years | -3.0% |
| 1987 | 3.5 years | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 3.52 years | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 3.47 years | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 2.94 years | -15.2% |
| 1991 | 3.2 years | +8.6% |
| 1992 | 3.46 years | +8.3% |
| 1993 | 3.76 years | +8.5% |
| 1994 | 3.77 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 3.98 years | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 4.11 years | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 4.33 years | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 4.43 years | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 4.46 years | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 4.64 years | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 5.07 years | +9.3% |
| 2002 | 5.38 years | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 5.67 years | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 5.9 years | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 5.75 years | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 5.73 years | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 6.39 years | +11.6% |
| 2009 | 6.67 years | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 6.76 years | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 6.87 years | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 7.08 years | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 7.14 years | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 7.13 years | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 7.27 years | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 7.17 years | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 6.96 years | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 6.66 years | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 6.36 years | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 6.19 years | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 6.29 years | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 6.43 years | +2.2% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 6.43 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 6.43 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.48 years | 1.9 years | 3.16 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.53 years | 3.24 years | 3.69 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.84 years | 2.94 years | 4.46 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.69 years | 4.64 years | 6.67 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.94 years | 6.36 years | 7.27 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.3 years | 6.19 years | 6.43 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More education data for Benin
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 57,296 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 209,295 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,495 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 84,746 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 929,099 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.40 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1743 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Benin?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Benin was 6.43 years in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 7.27 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9 years in 1971.
- How does Benin rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Benin ranks 57th out of 218 countries with data for 2022.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release