School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.22 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
6.22 years
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
68th
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.89 years
in 2012
All-time low
5.87 years
in 1979
Years of data
20
1979–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, 1979–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia stood at 6.22 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia peaked at 7.89 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 5.87 years, in 1979.
Saudi Arabia ranks 68th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 5.87 years | — |
| 2004 | 7.13 years | +21.6% |
| 2005 | 6.85 years | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 7.16 years | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 7.32 years | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 7.49 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 7.67 years | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 7.74 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 7.89 years | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 6.06 years | -23.2% |
| 2014 | 6.14 years | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 6.18 years | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 6.22 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 6.39 years | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 6.35 years | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.2 years | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 6.17 years | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 6.11 years | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 6.17 years | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 6.22 years | +0.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 6.22 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.86 years, 1.1× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 6.22 years is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.82 years, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.87 years | 5.87 years | 5.87 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.19 years | 6.85 years | 7.49 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 6.68 years | 6.06 years | 7.89 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.17 years | 6.11 years | 6.22 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 65 Costa Rica 6.24 years compare
- 66 Guam 6.23 years compare
- 67 Netherlands 6.23 years compare
- 69 Hong Kong 6.21 years compare
- 70 Cape Verde 6.18 years compare
- 71 Marshall Islands 6.17 years compare
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia was 6.22 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.89 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.87 years in 1979.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 68th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release