School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Bhutan
Bhutan: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 7.76 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
7.76 years
Change on year
up 7.9%
World rank
14th
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.84 years
in 2011
All-time low
1.18 years
in 1971
Years of data
51
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bhutan, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bhutan stood at 7.76 years.
The figure is up 7.9% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bhutan peaked at 7.84 years in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.18 years, in 1971.
Bhutan ranks 14th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 Bhutan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.19 years | — |
| 1971 | 1.18 years | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 1.27 years | +7.1% |
| 1974 | 1.45 years | +14.5% |
| 1976 | 1.75 years | +20.3% |
| 1977 | 1.9 years | +8.6% |
| 1978 | 2 years | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 2.23 years | +11.5% |
| 1980 | 2.69 years | +20.7% |
| 1981 | 2.98 years | +11.1% |
| 1982 | 3.12 years | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 3.32 years | +6.6% |
| 1984 | 3.43 years | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 3.39 years | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 3.63 years | +7.2% |
| 1987 | 3.68 years | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 3.79 years | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 3.25 years | -14.3% |
| 1992 | 3.17 years | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 3.82 years | +20.3% |
| 1994 | 4.01 years | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 4.36 years | +8.9% |
| 1996 | 4.78 years | +9.6% |
| 1997 | 5.02 years | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 5.36 years | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 5.48 years | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 5.59 years | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 5.67 years | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 5.73 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 5.94 years | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 6.22 years | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 6.38 years | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 6.67 years | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 7.08 years | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 7.18 years | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 7.51 years | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 7.72 years | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 7.84 years | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 7.84 years | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 7.45 years | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 7.32 years | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 7.17 years | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 7.04 years | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 6.93 years | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 6.86 years | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 6.86 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7.23 years | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 7.28 years | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 7.27 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 7.2 years | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 7.76 years | +7.9% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 7.76 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 7.76 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 5.75 years, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.62 years | 1.18 years | 2.23 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.34 years | 2.69 years | 3.79 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.36 years | 3.17 years | 5.48 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.4 years | 5.59 years | 7.51 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.3 years | 6.86 years | 7.84 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.35 years | 7.2 years | 7.76 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bhutan?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Bhutan was 7.76 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.84 years in 2011.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.18 years in 1971.
- How does Bhutan rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Bhutan ranks 14th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release