School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Rwanda
Rwanda: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 9.26 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Rwanda, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Rwanda stood at 9.26 years.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Rwanda peaked at 9.55 years in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.1 years, in 1975.
That places Rwanda 3rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.5 years | — |
| 1972 | 3.33 years | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 3.27 years | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 3.22 years | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 3.1 years | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 3.17 years | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 3.35 years | +5.9% |
| 1978 | 3.49 years | +4.1% |
| 1979 | 3.79 years | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 3.99 years | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 4.25 years | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 4.32 years | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 4.15 years | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 4.07 years | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 4.03 years | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 4.08 years | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 4.22 years | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 4.32 years | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 4.38 years | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 4.31 years | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 4.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 4.42 years | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 4.52 years | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 4.7 years | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 4.98 years | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 7.1 years | +42.7% |
| 2001 | 7.32 years | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 7.28 years | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 7.38 years | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 7.87 years | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 8.29 years | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 8.93 years | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 9.29 years | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 9.28 years | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 9.55 years | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 9.44 years | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 9.36 years | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 9.3 years | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 7.39 years | -20.6% |
| 2014 | 8.59 years | +16.3% |
| 2015 | 8.23 years | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 8.72 years | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 8.78 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 8.4 years | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 8.38 years | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 9.04 years | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 9 years | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 9.24 years | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 9.26 years | +0.2% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 9.26 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.81 years, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 9.26 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Rwanda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +42.7% | 4.98 years | 7.1 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.36 years | 3.1 years | 3.79 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 4.18 years | 3.99 years | 4.38 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.54 years | 4.31 years | 4.98 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 8.23 years | 7.1 years | 9.55 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.66 years | 7.39 years | 9.44 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.14 years | 9 years | 9.26 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 1 Haiti 11.16 years compare
- 2 Sierra Leone 9.68 years compare
- 4 Namibia 8.68 years compare
- 5 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.59 years compare
- 6 Mozambique 8.56 years compare
More education data for Rwanda
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34,324 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 795,920 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 305,636 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 299,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 901,617 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2109 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Rwanda?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Rwanda was 9.26 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 9.55 years in 2009.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1 years in 1975.
- How does Rwanda rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Rwanda ranks 3rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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 — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release