School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Tanzania
Tanzania: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 8.78 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Tanzania, 1970–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Tanzania is 8.78 years, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Tanzania peaked at 9.25 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.68 years, in 1970.
Tanzania ranks 167th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.68 years | — |
| 1971 | 2.79 years | +3.9% |
| 1972 | 2.96 years | +6.1% |
| 1973 | 3.16 years | +6.7% |
| 1974 | 3.41 years | +8.0% |
| 1975 | 4.1 years | +20.3% |
| 1976 | 5.18 years | +26.5% |
| 1977 | 5.36 years | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 6.72 years | +25.4% |
| 1979 | 6.89 years | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 7.36 years | +6.8% |
| 1983 | 7.15 years | -2.9% |
| 1984 | 6.68 years | -6.6% |
| 1985 | 5.78 years | -13.4% |
| 1986 | 5.52 years | -4.5% |
| 1987 | 5.33 years | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 5.17 years | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 5.35 years | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 5.35 years | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 5.42 years | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 5.36 years | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 5.34 years | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 5.32 years | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 5.4 years | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 9.11 years | +68.5% |
| 2013 | 8.5 years | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 7.85 years | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 7.7 years | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 8.06 years | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 8.71 years | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 8.88 years | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 9.25 years | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 8.78 years | -5.1% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 8.78 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.12 years, 79% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 8.78 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.16 years, 86% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Tanzania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +68.5% | 5.4 years | 9.11 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.32 years | 2.68 years | 6.89 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.14 years | 5.17 years | 7.36 years | 7 |
| 1990s | 5.36 years | 5.32 years | 5.42 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 8.4 years | 7.7 years | 9.11 years | 7 |
| 2020s | 9.02 years | 8.78 years | 9.25 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More education data for Tanzania
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,006 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 331,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 851,911 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 824,648 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.3307 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1661 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Tanzania?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Tanzania was 8.78 years in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 9.25 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.68 years in 1970.
- How does Tanzania rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Tanzania ranks 167th out of 186 countries with data for 2021.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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 — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release