School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in East Timor
East Timor: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 7.22 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
7.22 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
22nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
9.07 years
in 2001
All-time low
6.59 years
in 2020
Years of data
21
2001–2023
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in East Timor, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
East Timor recorded 7.22 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in East Timor peaked at 9.07 years in 2001 and was at its lowest, 6.59 years, in 2020.
East Timor ranks 22nd of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in East Timor, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 9.07 years | — |
| 2002 | 8.32 years | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 7.76 years | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 7.61 years | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 7.28 years | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 7.69 years | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 7.78 years | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 7.93 years | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 8.08 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 7.99 years | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 7.91 years | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 7.81 years | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 7.69 years | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 7.45 years | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 7.06 years | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 6.79 years | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 6.65 years | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 6.59 years | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 7.36 years | +11.7% |
| 2022 | 7.15 years | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 7.22 years | +1.0% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 7.22 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 7.22 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 1.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.93 years | 7.28 years | 9.07 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 7.54 years | 6.65 years | 8.08 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.08 years | 6.59 years | 7.36 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
- 19 Uganda 7.44 years compare
- 20 Turks and Caicos Islands 7.41 years compare
- 21 Papua New Guinea 7.39 years compare
- 23 American Samoa 7.19 years
- 24 Guinea-Bissau 7.13 years compare
- 25 South Africa 7.12 years compare
More education data for East Timor
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,182 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 140 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 13,267 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13,390 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 162,113 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 227,656 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1645 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in East Timor?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in East Timor was 7.22 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 9.07 years in 2001.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.59 years in 2020.
- How does East Timor rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- East Timor ranks 22nd out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Timor 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 — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release