School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Gambia
Gambia: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.11 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
6.11 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
77th
of 218 countries
All-time high
6.11 years
in 2025
All-time low
1.29 years
in 1972
Years of data
55
1971–2025
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Gambia, 1971–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 6.11 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Gambia peaked at 6.11 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.29 years, in 1972.
Gambia ranks 77th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.31 years | — |
| 1972 | 1.29 years | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 1.39 years | +7.7% |
| 1974 | 1.44 years | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 1.5 years | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 1.59 years | +6.3% |
| 1977 | 1.63 years | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 1.72 years | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 1.95 years | +13.3% |
| 1980 | 2.19 years | +12.3% |
| 1981 | 2.66 years | +21.4% |
| 1982 | 2.88 years | +8.0% |
| 1983 | 3.06 years | +6.2% |
| 1984 | 3.24 years | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 3.36 years | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 3.39 years | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 3.33 years | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 3.21 years | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 3.01 years | -6.3% |
| 1990 | 3.06 years | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 3.06 years | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 3.18 years | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 3.2 years | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 3.25 years | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 3.35 years | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 3.58 years | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 3.64 years | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 3.81 years | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 4.41 years | +15.7% |
| 2000 | 4.4 years | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 4.41 years | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 4.28 years | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 4.45 years | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 4.52 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 4.43 years | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 4.34 years | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 4.49 years | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 4.47 years | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 4.44 years | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 4.46 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 4.37 years | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 4.58 years | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 4.71 years | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 4.91 years | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 5.1 years | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 5.23 years | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 5.43 years | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 5.65 years | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 5.84 years | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 5.94 years | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 5.92 years | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 6.03 years | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 6.08 years | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 6.04 years | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 6.11 years | +1.1% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 6.11 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.81 years, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 6.11 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 100% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.54 years | 1.29 years | 1.95 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.03 years | 2.19 years | 3.39 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.45 years | 3.06 years | 4.41 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.42 years | 4.28 years | 4.52 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.03 years | 4.37 years | 5.84 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.02 years | 5.92 years | 6.11 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Gambia?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Gambia was 6.11 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.11 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.29 years in 1972.
- How does Gambia rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Gambia ranks 77th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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 — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release