School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States

United States: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female was 16.82 years in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
16.82 years
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
38th
of 179 countries
All-time high
17.35 years
in 2015
All-time low
14.59 years
in 1981
Years of data
25
1981–2022

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States, 1981–2022

0510151981200120221981: 14.6 years1982: 15 years1983: 15 years1984: 15.1 years1985: 15 years1986: 15.2 years1987: 15.4 years1990: 16.1 years1991: 16.1 years1993: 16.4 years1994: 16.5 years1995: 16.6 years1996: 16.4 years1998: 16.7 years2005: 16.9 years2013: 17.3 years2014: 17.3 years2015: 17.4 years2016: 17.4 years2017: 17.3 years2018: 17.3 years2019: 17.4 years2020: 17.3 years2021: 17.3 years2022: 16.8 years

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2022, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States stood at 16.82 years.

The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States peaked at 17.35 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 14.59 years, in 1981.

United States ranks 38th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years) in United States, 1981 to 2022.
Year years Change
1981 14.59 years
1982 15.04 years +3.1%
1983 14.98 years -0.4%
1984 15.1 years +0.8%
1985 15.04 years -0.4%
1986 15.25 years +1.3%
1987 15.42 years +1.1%
1990 16.07 years +4.3%
1991 16.07 years -0.0%
1993 16.44 years +2.3%
1994 16.5 years +0.4%
1995 16.58 years +0.5%
1996 16.44 years -0.8%
1998 16.66 years +1.3%
2005 16.86 years +1.2%
2013 17.33 years +2.8%
2014 17.33 years -0.0%
2015 17.35 years +0.1%
2016 17.35 years -0.0%
2017 17.34 years -0.1%
2018 17.33 years -0.1%
2019 17.35 years +0.1%
2020 17.33 years -0.1%
2021 17.26 years -0.4%
2022 16.82 years -2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 15.06 years 14.59 years 15.42 years 7
1990s 16.39 years 16.07 years 16.66 years 7
2000s 16.86 years 16.86 years 16.86 years 1
2010s 17.34 years 17.33 years 17.35 years 7
2020s 17.14 years 16.82 years 17.33 years 3

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 35 Malta 17.12 years compare
  2. 36 Singapore 16.89 years compare
  3. 37 Brazil 16.88 years compare
  4. 39 Austria 16.78 years compare
  5. 40 Latvia 16.76 years compare
  6. 41 Lithuania 16.71 years compare

See the full ranking of 400 places →

More education data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States?
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States was 16.82 years in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 17.35 years in 2015.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 14.59 years in 1981.
How does United States rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female?
United States ranks 38th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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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School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United States. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-female-years-2/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
400 places, 12,742 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release