School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in MDG: World
MDG: World: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 12.71 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
12.71 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
109th
of 221 groups
All-time high
12.71 years
in 2024
All-time low
8.48 years
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in MDG: World, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in MDG: World is 12.71 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in MDG: World peaked at 12.71 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.48 years, in 1971.
MDG: World ranks 109th 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 to tertiary, both sexes in MDG: World, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.5 years | — |
| 1971 | 8.48 years | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 8.53 years | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 8.65 years | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 8.64 years | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 8.74 years | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 8.83 years | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 8.97 years | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 9.05 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 9.01 years | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 8.95 years | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 8.98 years | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 9 years | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 9.05 years | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 9.07 years | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 9.15 years | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 9.17 years | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 9.18 years | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 9.2 years | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 9.18 years | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 9.12 years | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 9.13 years | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 9.13 years | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 9.13 years | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 9.16 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 9.19 years | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 9.24 years | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 9.33 years | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 9.39 years | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 9.48 years | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 9.55 years | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 9.61 years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 9.79 years | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 10.04 years | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 10.21 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 10.38 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 10.55 years | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 10.71 years | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 10.87 years | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 10.98 years | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 11.18 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 11.37 years | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 11.8 years | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 11.96 years | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 12.05 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 12.09 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 12.2 years | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 12.2 years | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.18 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 12.25 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 12.39 years | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 12.49 years | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 12.61 years | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 12.66 years | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 12.71 years | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.74 years | 8.48 years | 9.05 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.09 years | 8.95 years | 9.2 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.23 years | 9.12 years | 9.48 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.27 years | 9.55 years | 10.98 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.93 years | 11.18 years | 12.25 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.57 years | 12.39 years | 12.71 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: World
More education data for MDG: World
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 89.8% (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 88.7% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female 314.66 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational 10.2% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male 337.02 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes 206.57 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes 34.10 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male 404.43 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, male 213.09 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, female 199.67 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in MDG: World?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in MDG: World was 12.71 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
- The highest recorded value was 12.71 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in MDG: World?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.48 years in 1971.
- How does MDG: World rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- MDG: World ranks 109th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: World 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 — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release