School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Gambia
Gambia: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 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 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% |
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
- 74 Burundi 6.13 years compare
- 75 United Kingdom 6.13 years compare
- 76 Dominican Republic 6.12 years compare
- 78 Belgium 6.11 years compare
- 79 Iran, Islamic Republic of 6.11 years compare
- 80 Greece 6.1 years compare
More education data for Gambia
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 13,495 (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 39.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 100.43 (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 100.4% (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