School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years) (female) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years) (female) was 18.31 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom stood at 18.31 years.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom peaked at 18.39 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 16.1 years, in 2012.
That places United Kingdom 23rd out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years) (female) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.29 years | — |
| 2001 | 16.36 years | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 16.48 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 16.56 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 17.02 years | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 17.07 years | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 16.52 years | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 16.37 years | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 16.49 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 16.64 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 16.84 years | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 16.19 years | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 16.1 years | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 18.17 years | +12.8% |
| 2014 | 17.97 years | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 17.77 years | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 17.94 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 17.72 years | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 17.82 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 17.89 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 18.25 years | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 18.39 years | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 18.31 years | -0.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 18.31 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.71 years, 1.1× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 18.31 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 16.68 years, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.58 years | 16.29 years | 17.07 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.39 years | 16.1 years | 18.17 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 18.21 years | 17.89 years | 18.39 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom was 18.31 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 18.39 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.1 years in 2012.
- How does United Kingdom rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female?
- United Kingdom ranks 23rd out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release