School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Switzerland
Switzerland: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 16.41 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Switzerland, 1978–2018
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 16.41 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2018. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Switzerland peaked at 16.41 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 12.37 years, in 1978.
That places Switzerland 30th out of 183 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 12.37 years | — |
| 1979 | 12.41 years | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 12.47 years | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 12.61 years | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 12.64 years | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 12.62 years | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 12.67 years | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 12.74 years | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 12.76 years | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 12.86 years | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 12.99 years | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 13.16 years | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 13.43 years | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 13.62 years | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 13.77 years | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 14.14 years | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 14.28 years | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 14.43 years | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 14.58 years | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 15.04 years | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 15.11 years | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 15.22 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 15.24 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 15.02 years | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 15.16 years | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 15.26 years | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 15.26 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 15.32 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 15.35 years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 15.39 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 15.46 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 15.63 years | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 15.73 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 15.82 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 15.98 years | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 16.19 years | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 16.25 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 16.33 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 16.41 years | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.39 years | 12.37 years | 12.41 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 12.75 years | 12.47 years | 13.16 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.27 years | 13.43 years | 15.11 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.27 years | 15.02 years | 15.46 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.04 years | 15.63 years | 16.41 years | 8 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 27 South Korea 16.49 years compare
- 28 Macao 16.44 years compare
- 29 Puerto Rico 16.42 years compare
- 31 Bahrain 16.3 years compare
- 32 United States 16.28 years compare
- 33 Czechia 16.28 years compare
More education data for Switzerland
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 58,349 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Switzerland?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Switzerland was 16.41 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 16.41 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.37 years in 1978.
- How does Switzerland rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Switzerland ranks 30th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.