School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in France
France: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 15.8 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in France, 1971–2018
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in France stood at 15.8 years.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in France peaked at 15.8 years in 1996 and was at its lowest, 11.96 years, in 1971.
That places France 42nd out of 183 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in France, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 11.96 years | — |
| 1972 | 12.12 years | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 12.29 years | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 12.59 years | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 12.48 years | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 12.36 years | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 12.41 years | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 12.5 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 12.48 years | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 12.56 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 12.56 years | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 12.62 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 12.63 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 12.91 years | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 13.15 years | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 13.39 years | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 13.61 years | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 13.91 years | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 14.09 years | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 14.48 years | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 14.7 years | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 14.8 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 15.59 years | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 15.7 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 15.8 years | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 15.76 years | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 15.69 years | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 15.04 years | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 14.94 years | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 14.85 years | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 14.62 years | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 14.66 years | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 14.63 years | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 15.19 years | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 15.16 years | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 15.1 years | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 15.05 years | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 15.03 years | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 15.13 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 15.19 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 15.26 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 15.41 years | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 15.44 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 15.42 years | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 15.53 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 15.65 years | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 15.8 years | +1.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 15.8 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 16.13 years, 98% of the median. (67 countries reporting)
- France's 15.8 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.71 years, 1.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.36 years | 11.96 years | 12.59 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 13.04 years | 12.56 years | 13.91 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 15.16 years | 14.09 years | 15.8 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.92 years | 14.62 years | 15.19 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.43 years | 15.13 years | 15.8 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near France
More education data for France
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.97 (2016)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.8 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in France?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in France was 15.8 years in 2018, 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8 years in 1996.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.96 years in 1971.
- How does France rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- France ranks 42nd out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.