School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104): School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 7.29 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
7.29 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
2nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
7.87 years
in 2011
All-time low
5.18 years
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) is 7.29 years, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) peaked at 7.87 years in 2011 and was at its lowest, 5.18 years, in 1971.
That places ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 2nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104), year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.25 years | — |
| 1971 | 5.18 years | -1.4% |
| 1972 | 5.23 years | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 5.32 years | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 5.38 years | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 5.43 years | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 5.49 years | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 5.52 years | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 5.37 years | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 5.54 years | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 5.81 years | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 5.89 years | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 5.88 years | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 5.75 years | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 5.61 years | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 5.5 years | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 5.53 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 5.49 years | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 5.4 years | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 6.03 years | +11.6% |
| 1990 | 5.94 years | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 6.03 years | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 6.03 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5.99 years | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.03 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.26 years | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 6.17 years | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 6.11 years | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 6.15 years | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 6.26 years | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 6.22 years | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 6.43 years | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 6.58 years | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 6.76 years | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 6.96 years | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 7.18 years | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 7.3 years | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 7.48 years | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 7.76 years | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 7.68 years | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 7.74 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 7.87 years | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 7.82 years | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 7.76 years | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 7.69 years | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 7.64 years | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 7.5 years | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 7.4 years | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 7.37 years | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 7.39 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 7.36 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 7.31 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 7.3 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 7.28 years | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 7.29 years | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.37 years | 5.18 years | 5.54 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.69 years | 5.4 years | 6.03 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.1 years | 5.94 years | 6.26 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.04 years | 6.22 years | 7.76 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.62 years | 7.37 years | 7.87 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.31 years | 7.28 years | 7.36 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- 1 Haiti 11.16 years compare
- 2 Sierra Leone 9.68 years compare
- 3 Rwanda 9.26 years compare
- 4 Namibia 8.68 years compare
- 5 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.59 years compare
More education data for ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes 14.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female 7.02 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational 7.9% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male 7.14 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes 5.01 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes 875,127 (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 92.1% (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, female 5.71 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes 11.43 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, male 5.72 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) was 7.29 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The highest recorded value was 7.87 years in 2011.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.18 years in 1971.
- How does ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) ranks 2nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: Southern Africa (unsdcode:98104) 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