School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa
UIS: Sub-saharan Africa: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 9.22 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
9.22 years
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
183rd
of 221 groups
All-time high
9.29 years
in 2013
All-time low
4.28 years
in 1970
Years of data
49
1970–2018
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, 1970–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa is 9.22 years, measured in 2018.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 9.29 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4.28 years, in 1970.
UIS: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 183rd 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 UIS: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.28 years | — |
| 1971 | 4.3 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 4.43 years | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 4.49 years | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 4.63 years | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 4.78 years | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 4.89 years | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 5.08 years | +4.0% |
| 1978 | 5.38 years | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 5.77 years | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 6.05 years | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 6.29 years | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 6.51 years | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 6.58 years | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 6.58 years | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 6.42 years | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 6.18 years | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 6.11 years | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 6.11 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6.09 years | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 6.05 years | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 6.16 years | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 6.13 years | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 6.17 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.19 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 6.23 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 6.11 years | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 6.34 years | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 6.52 years | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 6.59 years | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 6.79 years | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 6.94 years | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 7.17 years | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 7.45 years | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 7.73 years | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 7.97 years | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 8.18 years | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 8.27 years | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 8.48 years | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 8.64 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 8.76 years | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 8.95 years | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 9.09 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 9.29 years | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 9.19 years | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 9.1 years | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 9.1 years | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 9.16 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 9.22 years | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8 years | 4.28 years | 5.77 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.29 years | 6.05 years | 6.58 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.25 years | 6.05 years | 6.59 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.76 years | 6.79 years | 8.64 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.09 years | 8.76 years | 9.29 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near UIS: Sub-saharan Africa
- 180 Mali 6.94 years compare
- 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 UIS: Sub-saharan Africa
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 9.73 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7518 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 37.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 40.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25.04 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.63 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.6 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.53 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa was 9.22 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.29 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in UIS: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.28 years in 1970.
- How does UIS: Sub-saharan Africa rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- UIS: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 183rd out of 221 groups with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in UIS: 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 UIS: 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