School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 9.21 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
9.21 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
184th
of 221 groups
All-time high
9.28 years
in 2013
All-time low
4.27 years
in 1970
Years of data
49
1970–2018
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa recorded 9.21 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2018.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 9.28 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4.27 years, in 1970.
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 184th of 221 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.27 years | — |
| 1971 | 4.29 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 4.42 years | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 4.47 years | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 4.62 years | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 4.77 years | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 4.87 years | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 5.07 years | +4.0% |
| 1978 | 5.37 years | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 5.75 years | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 6.04 years | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 6.27 years | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 6.5 years | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 6.57 years | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 6.57 years | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 6.41 years | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 6.17 years | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 6.1 years | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 6.1 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6.08 years | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 6.04 years | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 6.15 years | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 6.12 years | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 6.16 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.18 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 6.22 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 6.1 years | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 6.33 years | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 6.51 years | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 6.58 years | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 6.78 years | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 6.93 years | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 7.17 years | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 7.45 years | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 7.72 years | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 7.96 years | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 8.18 years | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 8.26 years | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 8.47 years | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 8.63 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 8.75 years | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 8.94 years | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 9.08 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 9.28 years | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 9.18 years | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 9.1 years | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 9.09 years | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 9.15 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 9.21 years | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.79 years | 4.27 years | 5.75 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.28 years | 6.04 years | 6.57 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.24 years | 6.04 years | 6.58 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.76 years | 6.78 years | 8.63 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.09 years | 8.75 years | 9.28 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- 181 Haiti 6.71 years compare
- 182 Niger 6.7 years compare
- 183 Sierra Leone 6.62 years compare
- 184 Central African Republic 6.32 years compare
- 185 Papua New Guinea 5.78 years compare
- 186 Djibouti 4.05 years compare
More education data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 191.30 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14.32 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 37.60 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12.63 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 12.47 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.8202 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.94 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 97.68 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 9.21 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.28 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.27 years in 1970.
- How does SDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 184th out of 221 groups with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Sub-saharan Africa 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 — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release