School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in European Union
European Union: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 16.81 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in European Union, 1970–2019
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
European Union recorded 16.81 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2019. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in European Union peaked at 16.81 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.09 years, in 1971.
European Union ranks 2nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in European Union, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12.22 years | — |
| 1971 | 12.09 years | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 12.2 years | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 12.3 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 12.45 years | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 12.52 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 12.61 years | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 12.66 years | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 12.67 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 12.65 years | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 12.66 years | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 12.65 years | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 12.7 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 12.74 years | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 12.81 years | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 12.89 years | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 13.07 years | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 13.19 years | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 13.26 years | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 13.35 years | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 13.43 years | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 13.43 years | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 13.57 years | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 14.04 years | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 14.42 years | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 14.56 years | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 14.75 years | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 14.92 years | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 15.16 years | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 15.25 years | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 15.39 years | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 15.54 years | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 15.6 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 15.7 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 15.69 years | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 15.9 years | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 15.9 years | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 15.9 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 15.98 years | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 16.03 years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 16.17 years | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 16.19 years | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 16.17 years | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 16.65 years | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 16.63 years | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 16.65 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 16.68 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 16.79 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 16.8 years | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 16.81 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.44 years | 12.09 years | 12.67 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.93 years | 12.65 years | 13.35 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.35 years | 13.43 years | 15.25 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.76 years | 15.39 years | 16.03 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.55 years | 16.17 years | 16.81 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near European Union
More education data for European Union
- Population ages 0-14 14.2% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.26 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 37.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0517 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.89 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in European Union?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in European Union was 16.81 years in 2019, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 16.81 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.09 years in 1971.
- How does European Union rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- European Union ranks 2nd out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 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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About this data
Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.