School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106)
ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106): School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 9.85 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106), 1970–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) recorded 9.85 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2021. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) peaked at 9.85 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.62 years, in 1970.
That places ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) 160th out of 221 groups with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106), year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.62 years | — |
| 1971 | 4.62 years | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 4.75 years | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 4.83 years | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 4.95 years | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 5.12 years | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 5.25 years | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 5.45 years | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 5.72 years | +5.0% |
| 1979 | 6.05 years | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 6.31 years | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 6.52 years | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 6.73 years | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 6.83 years | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 6.87 years | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 6.76 years | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 6.61 years | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 6.58 years | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 6.59 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 6.57 years | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 6.53 years | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 6.61 years | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 6.55 years | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 6.6 years | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 6.71 years | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 6.71 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.64 years | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 6.86 years | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 7.02 years | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 7.09 years | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 7.28 years | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 7.4 years | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 7.61 years | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 7.84 years | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 8.08 years | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 8.34 years | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 8.52 years | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 8.55 years | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 8.74 years | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 8.92 years | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 9.04 years | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 9.21 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 9.37 years | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 9.57 years | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 9.49 years | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 9.45 years | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 9.47 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 9.55 years | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 9.63 years | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 9.74 years | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 9.85 years | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 9.85 years | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.14 years | 4.62 years | 6.05 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.64 years | 6.31 years | 6.87 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.73 years | 6.53 years | 7.09 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.13 years | 7.28 years | 8.92 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.45 years | 9.04 years | 9.74 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.85 years | 9.85 years | 9.85 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106)
More education data for ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 92.0% (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 90.9% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female 50.51 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational 8.0% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male 54.20 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes 29.65 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes 6.23 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male 114.70 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes 92.95 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, female 45.99 million (2024)
All data for ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106)?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) was 9.85 years in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106)?
- The highest recorded value was 9.85 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.62 years in 1970.
- How does ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) ranks 160th out of 221 groups with data for 2021.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ECA: African Union Commission (unsdcode:98106) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release