School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Germany
Germany: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 16.93 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Germany, 1991–2018
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Germany is 16.93 years, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Germany peaked at 16.98 years in 2017 and was at its lowest, 14.69 years, in 1991.
That places Germany 20th out of 183 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Germany, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 14.69 years | — |
| 1992 | 14.81 years | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 15.51 years | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 15.66 years | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 15.77 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 15.86 years | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 15.94 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 16.73 years | +5.0% |
| 2014 | 16.74 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16.79 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 16.88 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 16.98 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 16.93 years | -0.3% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 16.93 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.13 years, 1.1× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Germany's 16.93 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.71 years, 1.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.46 years | 14.69 years | 15.94 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 16.84 years | 16.73 years | 16.98 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More education data for Germany
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.48 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.73 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Germany?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Germany was 16.93 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 16.98 years in 2017.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.69 years in 1991.
- How does Germany rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Germany ranks 20th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.