School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Rwanda
Rwanda: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 11.23 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Rwanda, 1971–2019
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded 11.23 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2019.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Rwanda peaked at 11.68 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3.59 years, in 1976.
That places Rwanda 137th out of 183 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.02 years | — |
| 1976 | 3.59 years | -10.7% |
| 1977 | 3.79 years | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 3.93 years | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 4.22 years | +7.5% |
| 1980 | 4.83 years | +14.4% |
| 1981 | 5.42 years | +12.2% |
| 1984 | 5.37 years | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 5.41 years | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 5.43 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 5.53 years | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 5.57 years | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 5.68 years | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 5.63 years | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 7.17 years | +27.3% |
| 2000 | 7.48 years | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 7.38 years | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 7.68 years | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 8.19 years | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 8.85 years | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 9.17 years | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 10.01 years | +9.2% |
| 2007 | 10.42 years | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 10.4 years | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 10.97 years | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 11.21 years | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 11.44 years | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 11.68 years | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 11.51 years | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 11.46 years | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 11.09 years | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 11.5 years | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 11.5 years | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.19 years | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 11.23 years | +0.4% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 11.23 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.21 years, 1.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 11.23 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.73 years, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Rwanda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +27.3% | 5.63 years | 7.17 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.91 years | 3.59 years | 4.22 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 5.4 years | 4.83 years | 5.68 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 6.4 years | 5.63 years | 7.17 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.06 years | 7.38 years | 10.97 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.38 years | 11.09 years | 11.68 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More education data for Rwanda
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.15 (2019)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.03 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34,324 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 795,920 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 305,636 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 299,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 901,617 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.93 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Rwanda?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Rwanda was 11.23 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 11.68 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.59 years in 1976.
- How does Rwanda rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Rwanda ranks 137th out of 183 countries with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.