School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 17.25 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 17.25 years.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 17.63 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 12.33 years, in 1971.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 18th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 12.33 years | — |
| 1972 | 12.38 years | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 12.39 years | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 12.75 years | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 12.85 years | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 12.89 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 12.92 years | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 12.88 years | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 12.87 years | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 12.88 years | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 12.9 years | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 12.92 years | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 13.05 years | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 13.13 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 13.08 years | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 13.36 years | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 13.46 years | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 13.44 years | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 13.48 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 13.65 years | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 13.93 years | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 14.28 years | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 15.54 years | +8.9% |
| 1999 | 15.89 years | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 16.1 years | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 16.12 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 16.11 years | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 16.08 years | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 16.54 years | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 16.63 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 16.06 years | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 15.86 years | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 15.97 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 16.11 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 16.36 years | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 15.73 years | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 15.67 years | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 17.63 years | +12.5% |
| 2014 | 17.49 years | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 17.33 years | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 17.5 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 17.25 years | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.7 years | 12.33 years | 12.92 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 13.17 years | 12.88 years | 13.48 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.66 years | 13.65 years | 15.89 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 16.16 years | 15.86 years | 16.63 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.87 years | 15.67 years | 17.63 years | 8 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 17.25 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.63 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.33 years in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 18th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.