School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) was 7.25 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, primary, male in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 7.25 years for school life expectancy, primary, male in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, male in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 7.83 years in 1971 and was at its lowest, 3.41 years, in 1999.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 25th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.83 years | — |
| 1972 | 7.7 years | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 7.13 years | -7.4% |
| 1974 | 6.92 years | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 7.25 years | +4.8% |
| 1976 | 6.77 years | -6.6% |
| 1977 | 6.67 years | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 6.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 6.97 years | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 6.66 years | -4.4% |
| 1981 | 6.66 years | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 6.67 years | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 6.91 years | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 6.91 years | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 6.71 years | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 6.69 years | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 5.36 years | -20.0% |
| 1988 | 5.82 years | +8.7% |
| 1990 | 4.17 years | -28.5% |
| 1991 | 5.48 years | +31.6% |
| 1992 | 5.33 years | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 5.37 years | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 5.27 years | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 5.6 years | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 4.29 years | -23.3% |
| 1999 | 3.41 years | -20.6% |
| 2002 | 4.11 years | +20.4% |
| 2007 | 5.53 years | +34.7% |
| 2008 | 6.01 years | +8.6% |
| 2009 | 5.96 years | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 5.93 years | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 6.26 years | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 6.3 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 6.57 years | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 6.57 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 6.19 years | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 6.98 years | +12.7% |
| 2020 | 7.2 years | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 7.43 years | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 7.25 years | -2.4% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 7.25 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.78 years, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 7.25 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.26 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +34.7% | 4.11 years | 5.53 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.1 years | 6.67 years | 7.83 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 6.49 years | 5.36 years | 6.91 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.87 years | 3.41 years | 5.6 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.4 years | 4.11 years | 6.01 years | 4 |
| 2010s | 6.4 years | 5.93 years | 6.98 years | 7 |
| 2020s | 7.29 years | 7.2 years | 7.43 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 22 Falkland Islands 7.36 years compare
- 23 Guinea-Bissau 7.34 years compare
- 24 South Africa 7.3 years compare
- 26 Cameroon 7.19 years compare
- 27 East Timor 7.18 years compare
- 28 American Samoa 7.1 years compare
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 621,578 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.99 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,532 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 427,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.93 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 21.15 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 7.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1999 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, male in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- School life expectancy, primary, male in Democratic Republic of Congo was 7.25 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 7.83 years in 1971.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.41 years in 1999.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for school life expectancy, primary, male?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 25th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, male rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release