School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 7.39 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.39 years
Change on year
up 10.9%
World rank
21st
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.39 years
in 2023
All-time low
2.8 years
in 1971
Years of data
44
1970–2023
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Papua New Guinea, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Papua New Guinea stood at 7.39 years. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.9% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Papua New Guinea peaked at 7.39 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.8 years, in 1971.
That places Papua New Guinea 21st out of 218 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.81 years | — |
| 1971 | 2.8 years | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 2.83 years | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.93 years | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 2.99 years | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 3.03 years | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 3.13 years | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 3.12 years | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 3.2 years | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 3.34 years | +4.5% |
| 1980 | 3.57 years | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 3.54 years | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 3.64 years | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 3.91 years | +7.6% |
| 1986 | 4.03 years | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 4.08 years | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 4.14 years | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 4.24 years | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 4.17 years | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 4.13 years | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 4.2 years | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 4.37 years | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 4.46 years | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 4.41 years | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 4.33 years | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 4.29 years | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 4.48 years | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 4.1 years | -8.5% |
| 2001 | 3.72 years | -9.4% |
| 2002 | 3.58 years | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 3.37 years | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 3.36 years | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 3.42 years | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 3.33 years | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 3.57 years | +7.0% |
| 2012 | 6.23 years | +74.8% |
| 2014 | 6.41 years | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 6.4 years | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 6.72 years | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 6.43 years | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 6.21 years | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 6.2 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.67 years | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 7.39 years | +10.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.02 years | 2.8 years | 3.34 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.89 years | 3.54 years | 4.24 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 4.31 years | 4.13 years | 4.48 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.56 years | 3.33 years | 4.1 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 6.44 years | 6.23 years | 6.72 years | 5 |
| 2020s | 6.62 years | 6.2 years | 7.39 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 18 United States Virgin Islands 7.45 years compare
- 19 Uganda 7.44 years compare
- 20 Turks and Caicos Islands 7.41 years compare
- 22 East Timor 7.22 years compare
- 23 American Samoa 7.19 years compare
- 24 Guinea-Bissau 7.13 years compare
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 40,888 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Papua New Guinea?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Papua New Guinea was 7.39 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 7.39 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8 years in 1971.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 21st out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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 — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release