School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Nepal
Nepal: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 13.57 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
13.57 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
97th
of 186 countries
All-time high
13.57 years
in 2024
All-time low
4.47 years
in 1981
Years of data
38
1981–2024
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Nepal, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Nepal stood at 13.57 years. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Nepal peaked at 13.57 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.47 years, in 1981.
Nepal ranks 97th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 4.47 years | — |
| 1982 | 4.73 years | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 5.15 years | +8.8% |
| 1984 | 5.42 years | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 5.47 years | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 5.61 years | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 5.78 years | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 6.17 years | +6.7% |
| 1989 | 6.9 years | +11.8% |
| 1990 | 7.31 years | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 7.48 years | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 7.72 years | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 7.73 years | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 7.77 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 7.83 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 8.18 years | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 8.61 years | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 8.17 years | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 8.66 years | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 8.79 years | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 9.2 years | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 9.78 years | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 9.88 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 10.32 years | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 11.04 years | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 11.83 years | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 12.35 years | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 12.6 years | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 12.52 years | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 12.58 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 12.6 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 12.66 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 13.03 years | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 12.74 years | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 12.59 years | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 12.64 years | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 13.53 years | +7.0% |
| 2024 | 13.57 years | +0.3% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 13.57 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.12 years, 1.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 13.57 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 13.02 years, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.52 years | 4.47 years | 6.9 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 7.72 years | 7.31 years | 8.18 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 9.38 years | 8.17 years | 11.04 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 12.52 years | 11.83 years | 13.03 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 13.01 years | 12.59 years | 13.57 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 94 Dominican Republic 13.81 years compare
- 95 Uzbekistan 13.67 years compare
- 96 Bhutan 13.62 years compare
- 98 Barbados 13.57 years compare
- 99 Philippines 13.56 years compare
- 100 Aruba 13.52 years compare
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Nepal?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Nepal was 13.57 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 13.57 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.47 years in 1981.
- How does Nepal rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Nepal ranks 97th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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