School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Kenya
Kenya: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 11.71 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Kenya, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 11.71 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2023. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Kenya peaked at 11.71 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.88 years, in 1970.
Kenya ranks 137th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Kenya, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.88 years | — |
| 1971 | 4.99 years | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 5.25 years | +5.2% |
| 1973 | 5.45 years | +3.6% |
| 1974 | 7.47 years | +37.1% |
| 1976 | 7.61 years | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 7.61 years | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 7.52 years | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 8.77 years | +16.7% |
| 1980 | 9.07 years | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 8.88 years | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 9.18 years | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 9.06 years | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 9.32 years | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 9.48 years | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 8.46 years | -10.8% |
| 2001 | 8.53 years | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 8.27 years | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 9.39 years | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 9.42 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 10.02 years | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 10.58 years | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 11.71 years | +10.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.62 years | 4.88 years | 8.77 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 9.17 years | 8.88 years | 9.48 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 9.24 years | 8.27 years | 10.58 years | 7 |
| 2020s | 11.71 years | 11.71 years | 11.71 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,500 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 60.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 36.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 98.25 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 98.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Kenya?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Kenya was 11.71 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 11.71 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.88 years in 1970.
- How does Kenya rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Kenya ranks 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release