School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income): School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 5.2 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.2 years
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
181st
of 221 groups
All-time high
5.2 years
in 2024
All-time low
3.54 years
in 1972
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) recorded 5.2 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) peaked at 5.2 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 3.54 years, in 1972.
WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 181st of 221 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income), year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.57 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.56 years | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 3.54 years | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 3.65 years | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 3.7 years | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 3.81 years | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 3.91 years | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 3.98 years | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 3.92 years | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 3.88 years | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 3.98 years | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 3.98 years | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 3.97 years | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 4.05 years | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 4.12 years | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 4.15 years | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 4.18 years | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 4.23 years | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 4.26 years | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 4.24 years | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 4.13 years | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 4.19 years | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 4.12 years | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 4.09 years | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 4.18 years | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 4.13 years | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 4.18 years | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 4.16 years | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 4.16 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4.15 years | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 4.14 years | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 4.19 years | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 4.41 years | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 4.49 years | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 4.62 years | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 4.79 years | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 4.74 years | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 4.82 years | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 4.76 years | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 4.73 years | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 4.79 years | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 4.72 years | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 4.77 years | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 4.83 years | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 4.84 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 4.88 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 4.98 years | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 4.97 years | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 5.06 years | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 5.11 years | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 5.14 years | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 5.13 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 5.07 years | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 5.17 years | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 5.2 years | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.75 years | 3.54 years | 3.98 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.12 years | 3.97 years | 4.26 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.15 years | 4.09 years | 4.19 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.57 years | 4.14 years | 4.82 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.89 years | 4.72 years | 5.11 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.14 years | 5.07 years | 5.2 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- 178 Burkina Faso 4.68 years compare
- 179 San Marino 4.68 years compare
- 180 Yemen 4.67 years compare
- 181 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.66 years compare
- 182 Mongolia 4.62 years compare
- 183 Sri Lanka 4.55 years compare
- 184 Eritrea 4.5 years compare
More education data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 8.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 3.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.80 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 29.02 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.80 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 32.64 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) was 5.2 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.54 years in 1972.
- How does WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) ranks 181st out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Middle East & North Africa (excluding High Income) 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