School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Suriname
Suriname: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 5.53 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Suriname, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Suriname recorded 5.53 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2024.
That represents a change of up 43.4% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Suriname peaked at 8.32 years in 1994 and was at its lowest, 3.86 years, in 2023.
That places Suriname 139th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Suriname, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.34 years | — |
| 1972 | 7.08 years | -3.5% |
| 1973 | 7.29 years | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 7.55 years | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 7.43 years | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 6.67 years | -10.2% |
| 1977 | 7.55 years | +13.1% |
| 1978 | 7.62 years | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 7.88 years | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 7.73 years | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 7.29 years | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 7.57 years | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 7.67 years | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 7.72 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 7.61 years | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 7.65 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 6.88 years | -10.1% |
| 1988 | 6.88 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7.18 years | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 6.47 years | -10.0% |
| 1991 | 6.14 years | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 7.27 years | +18.3% |
| 1993 | 7.62 years | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 8.32 years | +9.2% |
| 1999 | 6.15 years | -26.0% |
| 2001 | 6.43 years | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 6.38 years | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 6.38 years | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 6.28 years | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 6.05 years | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 6.35 years | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 6.39 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 6.35 years | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 6.24 years | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 6.28 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 6.31 years | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 6.36 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 6.52 years | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 6.5 years | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 6.23 years | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 6.15 years | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 6.18 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 6.15 years | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 5.72 years | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 5.73 years | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 3.86 years | -32.7% |
| 2024 | 5.53 years | +43.4% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 5.53 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.84 years, 95% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 5.53 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.1 years, 91% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Suriname 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +43.4% | 3.86 years | 5.53 years |
| 2023 | -32.7% | 5.73 years | 3.86 years |
| 1999 | -26.0% | 8.32 years | 6.15 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.38 years | 6.67 years | 7.88 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 7.42 years | 6.88 years | 7.73 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.99 years | 6.14 years | 8.32 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 6.32 years | 6.05 years | 6.43 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 6.31 years | 6.15 years | 6.52 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4 years | 3.86 years | 6.15 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Suriname
More education data for Suriname
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4,520 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,366 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9,117 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 8,643 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63,941 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 60,612 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 10.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0955 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Suriname?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Suriname was 5.53 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 8.32 years in 1994.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.86 years in 2023.
- How does Suriname rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Suriname ranks 139th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Suriname 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 — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release