School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Australia
Australia: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 7.66 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Australia, 2015–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Australia stood at 7.66 years. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Australia peaked at 8.92 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 7.66 years, in 2024.
Australia ranks 24th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 8.92 years | — |
| 2016 | 8.72 years | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 8.61 years | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 7.73 years | -10.2% |
| 2019 | 8.17 years | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 7.91 years | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 7.9 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 7.8 years | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 7.79 years | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 7.66 years | -1.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 7.66 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.57 years, 1.2× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Australia's 7.66 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.77 years, 1.3× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.43 years | 7.73 years | 8.92 years | 5 |
| 2020s | 7.81 years | 7.66 years | 7.91 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Australia?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Australia was 7.66 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.92 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.66 years in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Australia ranks 24th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release