School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 4.55 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Sri Lanka is 4.55 years, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 6.19 years in 1985 and was at its lowest, 4.16 years, in 1976.
Sri Lanka ranks 183rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.82 years | 4.16 years | 5.7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.89 years | 5.34 years | 6.19 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.7 years | 5.37 years | 6 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.79 years | 4.61 years | 5.14 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.85 years | 4.77 years | 4.88 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.66 years | 4.55 years | 4.76 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 73,333 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 91.5% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0033 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 4.55 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 6.19 years in 1985.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.16 years in 1976.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 183rd out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release