School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Iran
Iran: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.11 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Iran, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Iran is 6.11 years, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Iran peaked at 6.53 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.8 years, in 1972.
That places Iran 79th out of 218 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Iran, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.24 years | — |
| 1972 | 3.8 years | -10.4% |
| 1973 | 3.95 years | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 4.07 years | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 4.46 years | +9.5% |
| 1976 | 4.68 years | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 4.86 years | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 4.99 years | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 4.29 years | -14.0% |
| 1980 | 4.74 years | +10.3% |
| 1981 | 4.53 years | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 4.84 years | +7.0% |
| 1983 | 4.94 years | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 5.19 years | +5.0% |
| 1985 | 5.23 years | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 5.29 years | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 5.3 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 5.35 years | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 5.36 years | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 5.31 years | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 5.22 years | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 5.39 years | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 5.21 years | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 5.13 years | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 5.07 years | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 5.03 years | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 4.9 years | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 4.93 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 4.77 years | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 4.75 years | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 5.04 years | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 5.14 years | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 5.29 years | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 5.41 years | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 5.23 years | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 5.12 years | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 4.96 years | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 4.96 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 4.95 years | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 4.91 years | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 4.95 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 4.96 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 6.53 years | +31.8% |
| 2014 | 6.14 years | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 6.16 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 6.26 years | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 6.25 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 6.28 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 6.28 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.05 years | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 6.11 years | +0.9% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 6.11 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.84 years, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iran's 6.11 years is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.82 years, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +31.8% | 4.96 years | 6.53 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.37 years | 3.8 years | 4.99 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 5.08 years | 4.53 years | 5.36 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.1 years | 4.77 years | 5.39 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.09 years | 4.75 years | 5.41 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.83 years | 4.91 years | 6.53 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 6.15 years | 6.05 years | 6.28 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Iran?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Iran was 6.11 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 6.53 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8 years in 1972.
- How does Iran rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Iran ranks 79th out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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