School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 5.3 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Puerto Rico, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Puerto Rico stood at 5.3 years. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Puerto Rico peaked at 7.43 years in 1982 and was at its lowest, 5.3 years, in 2024.
Puerto Rico ranks 155th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.79 years | — |
| 1972 | 6.87 years | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 6.85 years | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 6.75 years | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 6.48 years | -4.0% |
| 1976 | 6.39 years | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 6.57 years | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 7.43 years | +13.1% |
| 2009 | 5.83 years | -21.6% |
| 2010 | 5.93 years | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 5.59 years | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 5.77 years | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 5.88 years | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 5.98 years | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 6.03 years | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 5.69 years | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 5.76 years | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 5.32 years | -7.6% |
| 2024 | 5.3 years | -0.4% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 5.3 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.86 years, 90% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 5.3 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.1 years, 87% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.67 years | 6.39 years | 6.87 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 7.43 years | 7.43 years | 7.43 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 5.83 years | 5.83 years | 5.83 years | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.83 years | 5.59 years | 6.03 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 5.31 years | 5.3 years | 5.32 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More education data for Puerto Rico
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 20,845 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 14,445 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13,807 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 171,527 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 144,542 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0451 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Puerto Rico?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Puerto Rico was 5.3 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 7.43 years in 1982.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3 years in 2024.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Puerto Rico ranks 155th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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 — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release