School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Tanzania
Tanzania: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.45 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.45 years
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
55th
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.8 years
in 2008
All-time low
2.5 years
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tanzania, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tanzania stood at 6.45 years.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tanzania peaked at 7.8 years in 2008 and was at its lowest, 2.5 years, in 1970.
Tanzania ranks 55th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.5 years | — |
| 1971 | 2.6 years | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 2.77 years | +6.6% |
| 1973 | 2.97 years | +6.9% |
| 1974 | 3.2 years | +7.8% |
| 1975 | 3.89 years | +21.6% |
| 1976 | 4.97 years | +27.8% |
| 1977 | 5.14 years | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 6.49 years | +26.3% |
| 1979 | 6.66 years | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 7.34 years | +10.1% |
| 1981 | 7.46 years | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 7.16 years | -4.1% |
| 1983 | 6.94 years | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 6.48 years | -6.7% |
| 1985 | 5.56 years | -14.1% |
| 1986 | 5.29 years | -4.8% |
| 1987 | 5.09 years | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 4.9 years | -3.6% |
| 1989 | 4.89 years | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 4.95 years | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 5.03 years | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 5.02 years | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 5.09 years | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 5.04 years | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 5.01 years | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 4.99 years | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 5.04 years | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 4.9 years | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 4.97 years | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 5.04 years | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 5.49 years | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 6.47 years | +17.9% |
| 2003 | 6.87 years | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 7.21 years | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 7.46 years | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 7.63 years | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 7.73 years | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 7.8 years | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 7.34 years | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 7.08 years | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 6.66 years | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 6.52 years | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 6.25 years | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 6.02 years | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 5.9 years | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 5.93 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 6.26 years | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 6.69 years | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 6.86 years | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 6.92 years | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 6.91 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.31 years | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 6.69 years | +6.0% |
| 2024 | 6.45 years | -3.6% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 6.45 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 6.45 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.12 years | 2.5 years | 6.66 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.11 years | 4.89 years | 7.46 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5 years | 4.9 years | 5.09 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.9 years | 5.04 years | 7.8 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.42 years | 5.9 years | 7.08 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.65 years | 6.31 years | 6.92 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More education data for Tanzania
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,006 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 331,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 851,911 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 824,648 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.3307 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1661 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tanzania?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tanzania was 6.45 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8 years in 2008.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5 years in 1970.
- How does Tanzania rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Tanzania ranks 55th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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