School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe

UIS: North America and Western Europe: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 16.68 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
16.68 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
9th
of 221 groups
All-time high
16.88 years
in 2020
All-time low
15.65 years
in 2000
Years of data
26
1999–2024

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe, 1999–2024

0510151999201120241999: 15.7 years2000: 15.6 years2001: 15.7 years2002: 15.8 years2003: 15.9 years2004: 16 years2005: 16.1 years2006: 16.1 years2007: 16.1 years2008: 16.2 years2009: 16.3 years2010: 16.5 years2011: 16.5 years2012: 16.5 years2013: 16.7 years2014: 16.7 years2015: 16.7 years2016: 16.8 years2017: 16.9 years2018: 16.8 years2019: 16.9 years2020: 16.9 years2021: 16.9 years2022: 16.7 years2023: 16.7 years2024: 16.7 years

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe is 16.68 years, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe peaked at 16.88 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.65 years, in 2000.

UIS: North America and Western Europe ranks 9th of 221 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) in UIS: North America and Western Europe, 1999 to 2024.
Year years Change
1999 15.65 years
2000 15.65 years -0.0%
2001 15.73 years +0.5%
2002 15.82 years +0.6%
2003 15.93 years +0.7%
2004 16 years +0.4%
2005 16.14 years +0.9%
2006 16.11 years -0.2%
2007 16.11 years +0.0%
2008 16.19 years +0.4%
2009 16.26 years +0.5%
2010 16.45 years +1.2%
2011 16.48 years +0.1%
2012 16.55 years +0.4%
2013 16.69 years +0.9%
2014 16.69 years -0.0%
2015 16.75 years +0.3%
2016 16.79 years +0.3%
2017 16.85 years +0.4%
2018 16.85 years -0.0%
2019 16.87 years +0.1%
2020 16.88 years +0.1%
2021 16.88 years -0.0%
2022 16.7 years -1.1%
2023 16.65 years -0.3%
2024 16.68 years +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.65 years 15.65 years 15.65 years 1
2000s 16 years 15.65 years 16.26 years 10
2010s 16.7 years 16.45 years 16.87 years 10
2020s 16.76 years 16.65 years 16.88 years 5

Countries ranked near UIS: North America and Western Europe

  1. 6 Saint Kitts and Nevis 19.06 years compare
  2. 7 Belgium 18.92 years compare
  3. 8 Ireland 18.81 years compare
  4. 9 Türkiye 18.8 years compare
  5. 10 Hong Kong, China 18.72 years compare
  6. 11 Argentina 18.63 years compare
  7. 12 Sweden 18.58 years compare

See the full ranking of 407 places →

More education data for UIS: North America and Western Europe

All data for UIS: North America and Western Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe was 16.68 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
The highest recorded value was 16.88 years in 2020.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 15.65 years in 2000.
How does UIS: North America and Western Europe rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
UIS: North America and Western Europe ranks 9th out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UIS: North America and Western Europe 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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School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: North America and Western Europe. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-both-sexes-years-2/uis-north-america-and-western-europe/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
407 places, 13,852 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release