School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: South Asia
UNICEF: South Asia: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 5.7 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: South Asia, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
UNICEF: South Asia recorded 5.7 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: South Asia peaked at 5.7 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.53 years, in 2001.
UNICEF: South Asia ranks 128th of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: South Asia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4.6 years | — |
| 2000 | 4.6 years | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 4.53 years | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 4.63 years | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 4.96 years | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 5.06 years | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 5.14 years | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 5.2 years | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 5.29 years | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 5.29 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 5.27 years | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 5.29 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 5.23 years | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 5.32 years | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 5.39 years | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 5.33 years | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 5.37 years | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 5.62 years | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 5.53 years | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 4.98 years | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 4.95 years | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 5.02 years | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 5.05 years | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 5.36 years | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 5.43 years | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 5.7 years | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.6 years | 4.6 years | 4.6 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 4.53 years | 5.29 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3 years | 4.95 years | 5.62 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.31 years | 5.02 years | 5.7 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: South Asia
- 125 New Caledonia 5.8 years
- 126 New Zealand 5.8 years compare
- 127 Cayman Islands 5.74 years compare
- 128 Kiribati 5.72 years compare
- 129 Canada 5.7 years compare
- 130 Brunei Darussalam 5.69 years compare
- 131 Lesotho 5.69 years compare
More education data for UNICEF: South Asia
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 91.07 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 53.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 7.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 51.70 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 1.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 26.43 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: South Asia?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: South Asia was 5.7 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.7 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.53 years in 2001.
- How does UNICEF: South Asia rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- UNICEF: South Asia ranks 128th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: South Asia 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