School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in World
World: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 12.35 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in World, 1970–2019
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 World is 12.35 years, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in World peaked at 12.35 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 7.59 years, in 1970.
World ranks 25th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in World, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.59 years | — |
| 1971 | 7.64 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 7.78 years | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 7.98 years | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 8.01 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 8.1 years | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 8.24 years | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 8.42 years | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 8.48 years | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 8.46 years | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 8.51 years | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 8.56 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 8.59 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 8.66 years | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 8.74 years | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 8.83 years | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 8.93 years | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 8.97 years | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 9.03 years | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 9.07 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 9.04 years | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 9.11 years | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 9.17 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 9.25 years | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 9.3 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 9.35 years | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 9.43 years | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 9.52 years | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 9.58 years | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 9.64 years | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 9.82 years | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 9.89 years | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 10.07 years | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 10.3 years | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 10.47 years | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 10.65 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 10.78 years | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 10.97 years | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 11.15 years | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 11.25 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 11.45 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 11.68 years | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 11.82 years | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 12 years | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 12.11 years | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 12.18 years | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 12.3 years | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 12.31 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 12.28 years | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 12.35 years | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.07 years | 7.59 years | 8.48 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.79 years | 8.51 years | 9.07 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.34 years | 9.04 years | 9.64 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.53 years | 9.82 years | 11.25 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.05 years | 11.45 years | 12.35 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near World
More education data for World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 651.68 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 780.85 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, per capita 0.08 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in World?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in World was 12.35 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 12.35 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.59 years in 1970.
- How does World rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- World ranks 25th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.