School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa
UNICEF: West and Central Africa: School life expectancy, primary, female was 5.68 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.68 years
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
121st
of 221 groups
All-time high
5.68 years
in 2024
All-time low
2.33 years
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
UNICEF: West and Central Africa recorded 5.68 years for school life expectancy, primary, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa peaked at 5.68 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.33 years, in 1970.
UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 121st of 221 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.33 years | — |
| 1971 | 2.42 years | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 2.56 years | +5.5% |
| 1973 | 2.61 years | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 2.64 years | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 2.68 years | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 2.69 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +11.7% |
| 1978 | 3.39 years | +13.0% |
| 1979 | 3.73 years | +10.2% |
| 1980 | 3.88 years | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 4.07 years | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 4.29 years | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 4.31 years | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 4.29 years | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 4.1 years | -4.5% |
| 1986 | 3.83 years | -6.6% |
| 1987 | 3.74 years | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 3.61 years | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 3.57 years | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 3.48 years | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 3.68 years | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 3.77 years | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 3.87 years | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 3.87 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.83 years | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 3.62 years | -5.5% |
| 1997 | 3.77 years | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 3.87 years | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 4 years | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 4.18 years | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 4.15 years | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 4.25 years | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 4.35 years | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 4.61 years | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 4.73 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 4.86 years | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 4.77 years | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 4.75 years | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 4.86 years | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 4.93 years | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 5.11 years | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 5.26 years | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 5.44 years | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 5.37 years | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 5.29 years | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 5.27 years | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 5.31 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 5.32 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 5.41 years | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 5.48 years | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 5.53 years | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 5.59 years | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 5.65 years | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 5.68 years | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.8 years | 2.33 years | 3.73 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.97 years | 3.57 years | 4.31 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.78 years | 3.48 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.55 years | 4.15 years | 4.86 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.27 years | 4.93 years | 5.44 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.59 years | 5.48 years | 5.68 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: West and Central Africa
More education data for UNICEF: West and Central Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 5.20 million (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.9224 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 22.91 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.5411 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 8.34 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.9535 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 3.09 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2.11 million (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 20.41 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary, female in UNICEF: West and Central Africa was 5.68 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.68 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, female recorded in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.33 years in 1970.
- How does UNICEF: West and Central Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary, female?
- UNICEF: West and Central Africa ranks 121st out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, female rising or falling in UNICEF: West and Central Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: West and Central Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release