School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: World
UNICEF: World: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 5.75 years in 2024. β² Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: World, 1970β2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: World stood at 5.75 years.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: World peaked at 5.78 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4.82 years, in 1972.
That places UNICEF: World 118th out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.93 years | 4.82 years | 5.03 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.15 years | 5.02 years | 5.23 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.08 years | 5.06 years | 5.12 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.42 years | 5.15 years | 5.6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.68 years | 5.58 years | 5.78 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.66 years | 5.59 years | 5.75 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: World
More education data for UNICEF: World
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes 651.03 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female 314.34 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational 10.2% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male 336.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes 206.38 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes 34.04 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 89.8% (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, female 199.52 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes 412.45 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, male 212.93 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: World?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in UNICEF: World was 5.75 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: World?
- The highest recorded value was 5.78 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.82 years in 1972.
- How does UNICEF: World rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- UNICEF: World ranks 118th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: World 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 Β· JSON β 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release