School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 7.06 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 7.06 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 7.2 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.22 years, in 1999.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 26th out of 218 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.14 years | — |
| 1972 | 6.15 years | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 5.77 years | -6.1% |
| 1974 | 5.69 years | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 5.93 years | +4.1% |
| 1976 | 5.6 years | -5.4% |
| 1977 | 5.58 years | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 5.62 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 5.87 years | +4.5% |
| 1980 | 5.67 years | -3.5% |
| 1981 | 5.7 years | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 5.75 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 6 years | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 6.04 years | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 5.53 years | -8.5% |
| 1986 | 5.52 years | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 4.78 years | -13.4% |
| 1988 | 5.04 years | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 3.56 years | -29.4% |
| 1991 | 4.77 years | +34.1% |
| 1992 | 4.66 years | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 4.76 years | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 4.58 years | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 4.7 years | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 3.74 years | -20.5% |
| 1999 | 3.22 years | -13.8% |
| 2002 | 3.66 years | +13.6% |
| 2007 | 5.01 years | +36.9% |
| 2008 | 5.51 years | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 5.51 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5.53 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 5.82 years | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 5.89 years | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 6.21 years | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 6.23 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 6.12 years | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 6.71 years | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 6.95 years | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 7.2 years | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 7.06 years | -2.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 7.06 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.81 years, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 7.06 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +36.9% | 3.66 years | 5.01 years |
| 1991 | +34.1% | 3.56 years | 4.77 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.82 years | 5.58 years | 6.15 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 5.56 years | 4.78 years | 6.04 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.25 years | 3.22 years | 4.77 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.93 years | 3.66 years | 5.51 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 6.07 years | 5.53 years | 6.71 years | 7 |
| 2020s | 7.07 years | 6.95 years | 7.2 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 23 American Samoa 7.19 years compare
- 24 Guinea-Bissau 7.13 years compare
- 25 South Africa 7.12 years compare
- 27 Denmark 6.98 years compare
- 28 Morocco 6.98 years compare
- 29 Vanuatu 6.97 years compare
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 621,578 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.99 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,532 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 427,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.93 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 21.15 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 7.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1999 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Democratic Republic of Congo was 7.06 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 7.2 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.22 years in 1999.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 26th out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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