School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Tonga
Tonga: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.57 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.57 years
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
51st
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.17 years
in 1970
All-time low
5.96 years
in 1983
Years of data
51
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tonga, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tonga stood at 6.57 years.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tonga peaked at 7.17 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 5.96 years, in 1983.
That places Tonga 51st out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Tonga, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.17 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.53 years | -9.0% |
| 1972 | 6.54 years | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 6.31 years | -3.6% |
| 1974 | 6.36 years | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 6.9 years | +8.4% |
| 1976 | 6.75 years | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 6.6 years | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 6.78 years | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 6.78 years | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 6.59 years | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 6.12 years | -7.2% |
| 1982 | 5.99 years | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 5.96 years | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 6.29 years | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 6.45 years | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 6.49 years | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 6.32 years | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 6.17 years | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 6.08 years | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 6.05 years | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 6.2 years | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 6.12 years | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 6.28 years | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 6.49 years | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 6.52 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 6.51 years | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 6.66 years | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 6.67 years | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 6.8 years | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 6.79 years | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 7.08 years | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 6.75 years | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 6.69 years | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 6.69 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6.61 years | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 6.77 years | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 6.78 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 6.84 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 6.91 years | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 7.05 years | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 7.09 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 7.06 years | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 7.05 years | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 7.01 years | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.86 years | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 6.79 years | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 6.51 years | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 6.48 years | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 6.62 years | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 6.57 years | -0.7% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 6.57 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.84 years, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 6.57 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 1.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.67 years | 6.31 years | 7.17 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.28 years | 5.96 years | 6.59 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 6.31 years | 6.05 years | 6.66 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.76 years | 6.61 years | 7.08 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.98 years | 6.84 years | 7.09 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.59 years | 6.48 years | 6.79 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More education data for Tonga
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,086 (2015)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 20 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1,228 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1,164 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,132 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15,644 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1502 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tonga?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Tonga was 6.57 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 7.17 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.96 years in 1983.
- How does Tonga rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Tonga ranks 51st out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tonga 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 — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release