School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Ghana
Ghana: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 11.72 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
11.72 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
136th
of 186 countries
All-time high
11.73 years
in 2021
All-time low
5.78 years
in 1975
Years of data
30
1971–2024
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Ghana, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 11.72 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Ghana peaked at 11.73 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.78 years, in 1975.
That places Ghana 136th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Ghana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.47 years | — |
| 1973 | 6.13 years | -5.3% |
| 1974 | 5.87 years | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 5.78 years | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 6 years | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 6.64 years | +10.6% |
| 1999 | 7.02 years | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 7.33 years | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 6.97 years | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 7.27 years | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 7.17 years | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 7.59 years | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 8.23 years | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 8.63 years | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 9.29 years | +7.6% |
| 2008 | 9.88 years | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 9.99 years | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 10.67 years | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 10.93 years | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 11.07 years | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 10.75 years | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 11.22 years | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 11.16 years | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 11.06 years | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 11.05 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 11.4 years | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 11.55 years | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 11.73 years | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 11.59 years | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 11.72 years | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.05 years | 5.78 years | 6.47 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 6.64 years | 6.64 years | 6.64 years | 1 |
| 1990s | 7.02 years | 7.02 years | 7.02 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 8.23 years | 6.97 years | 9.99 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.03 years | 10.67 years | 11.4 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 11.65 years | 11.55 years | 11.73 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More education data for Ghana
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 122,558 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Ghana?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Ghana was 11.72 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 11.73 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.78 years in 1975.
- How does Ghana rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Ghana ranks 136th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release