School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Netherlands
Netherlands: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 18.43 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Netherlands, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Netherlands is 18.43 years, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Netherlands peaked at 18.58 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 16.26 years, in 2002.
Netherlands ranks 14th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 16.6 years | — |
| 2002 | 16.26 years | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 16.36 years | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 16.3 years | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 16.43 years | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 16.55 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 16.69 years | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 16.8 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 16.85 years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 17.02 years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 17.88 years | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 17.94 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 18.27 years | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 18.14 years | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 18.4 years | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 18.33 years | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 18.41 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 18.58 years | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 18.43 years | -0.8% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 18.43 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.09 years, 1.1× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 18.43 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.14 years, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.54 years | 16.26 years | 16.85 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 18 years | 17.02 years | 18.4 years | 7 |
| 2020s | 18.48 years | 18.41 years | 18.58 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More education data for Netherlands
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Netherlands?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Netherlands was 18.43 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 18.58 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.26 years in 2002.
- How does Netherlands rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Netherlands ranks 14th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands 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 — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release