School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Guatemala
Guatemala: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.1 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.1 years
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
81st
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.15 years
in 2009
All-time low
3.49 years
in 1970
Years of data
53
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Guatemala, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Guatemala stood at 6.1 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Guatemala peaked at 7.15 years in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.49 years, in 1970.
That places Guatemala 81st out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.49 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.59 years | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 3.67 years | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 3.6 years | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 3.76 years | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 3.83 years | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 3.75 years | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 3.93 years | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 4.16 years | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 4.29 years | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 4.45 years | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 4.74 years | +6.3% |
| 1982 | 4.47 years | -5.6% |
| 1983 | 4.77 years | +6.9% |
| 1984 | 4.76 years | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 4.78 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 4.73 years | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 4.83 years | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 4.9 years | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 4.67 years | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 4.87 years | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 5.1 years | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 5.18 years | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 5.14 years | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 5.21 years | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 5.21 years | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 5.27 years | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 5.51 years | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 5.9 years | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 6.02 years | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 6.07 years | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 6.25 years | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 6.61 years | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 6.67 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 6.73 years | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 6.75 years | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 6.8 years | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 7.15 years | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 7.08 years | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 7 years | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 6.73 years | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 6.57 years | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 6.33 years | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 6.23 years | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 6.16 years | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 6.15 years | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 6.17 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 6.17 years | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 6.09 years | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 6.18 years | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 6.18 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6.12 years | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 6.1 years | -0.4% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 6.1 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.84 years, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 6.1 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.1 years, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.81 years | 3.49 years | 4.29 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.72 years | 4.45 years | 4.9 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 5.21 years | 4.67 years | 5.9 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.56 years | 6.02 years | 7.15 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.46 years | 6.15 years | 7.08 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.14 years | 6.09 years | 6.18 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More education data for Guatemala
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 122,548 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 247,917 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 335,306 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 328,468 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.3948 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1317 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Guatemala?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Guatemala was 6.1 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 7.15 years in 2009.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.49 years in 1970.
- How does Guatemala rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Guatemala ranks 81st out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala 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