School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Kiribati
Kiribati: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 5.72 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Kiribati, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Kiribati recorded 5.72 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 47 years on record.
The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Kiribati peaked at 8.91 years in 1982 and was at its lowest, 5.72 years, in 2024.
Kiribati ranks 128th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.66 years | — |
| 1972 | 8.13 years | +22.2% |
| 1973 | 6.59 years | -19.0% |
| 1975 | 8.4 years | +27.5% |
| 1976 | 7.27 years | -13.5% |
| 1977 | 7.9 years | +8.6% |
| 1978 | 8 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 8.11 years | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 8.35 years | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 8.48 years | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 8.91 years | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 8.89 years | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 8.72 years | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 8.89 years | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 8.7 years | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 8.43 years | -3.1% |
| 1988 | 8.14 years | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 8.52 years | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 8.16 years | -4.3% |
| 1991 | 8.55 years | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 8.49 years | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 8.4 years | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 8.39 years | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 8.3 years | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 8.24 years | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 8.21 years | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 7.92 years | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 6.31 years | -20.3% |
| 2000 | 6.36 years | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 6.79 years | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 6.32 years | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 6.64 years | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 6.47 years | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 6.58 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 6.45 years | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 6.25 years | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 6.35 years | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 6.14 years | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 6.54 years | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 6.33 years | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 6.59 years | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 6.25 years | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 6.38 years | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 6.26 years | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 6.16 years | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 5.86 years | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 5.72 years | -2.4% |
Kiribati compared with similar countries
- Kiribati's 5.72 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kiribati's 5.72 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 95% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Kiribati 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | +27.5% | 6.59 years | 8.4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.63 years | 6.59 years | 8.4 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 8.6 years | 8.14 years | 8.91 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.1 years | 6.31 years | 8.55 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.44 years | 6.14 years | 6.79 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.43 years | 6.25 years | 6.59 years | 4 |
| 2020s | 6.07 years | 5.72 years | 6.38 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
- 125 New Caledonia 5.8 years compare
- 126 New Zealand 5.8 years compare
- 127 Cayman Islands 5.74 years compare
- 129 Canada 5.7 years compare
- 130 Brunei 5.69 years compare
- 131 Lesotho 5.69 years compare
More education data for Kiribati
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 969 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 608 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,846 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1298 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Kiribati?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Kiribati was 5.72 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 8.91 years in 1982.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.72 years in 2024.
- How does Kiribati rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Kiribati ranks 128th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kiribati 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 — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release