School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Gambia
Gambia: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 6.42 years in 2021. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Gambia, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Gambia is 6.42 years, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 135.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Gambia peaked at 6.42 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.4884 years, in 1971.
Gambia ranks 70th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.4884 years | — |
| 1972 | 0.512 years | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 0.5216 years | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 0.512 years | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 0.5061 years | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 0.5232 years | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 0.5867 years | +12.1% |
| 1978 | 0.5632 years | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 0.5803 years | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 0.645 years | +11.2% |
| 1981 | 0.6712 years | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 0.7087 years | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 0.7863 years | +10.9% |
| 1984 | 0.8811 years | +12.1% |
| 1985 | 0.9339 years | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 0.8967 years | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 0.8822 years | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 0.8545 years | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 0.8788 years | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 0.9005 years | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 0.9266 years | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 0.948 years | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 1.08 years | +14.3% |
| 1994 | 1.1 years | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 1.23 years | +12.4% |
| 1996 | 1.21 years | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 2.77 years | +130.2% |
| 2008 | 2.72 years | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 2.77 years | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 2.73 years | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 6.42 years | +135.0% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 6.42 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.3 years, 2.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 6.42 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.05 years, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Gambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +135.0% | 2.73 years | 6.42 years |
| 2007 | +130.2% | 1.21 years | 2.77 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.5326 years | 0.4884 years | 0.5867 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.8138 years | 0.645 years | 0.9339 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.06 years | 0.9005 years | 1.23 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 2.76 years | 2.72 years | 2.77 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 2.73 years | 2.73 years | 2.73 years | 1 |
| 2020s | 6.42 years | 6.42 years | 6.42 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Gambia?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Gambia was 6.42 years in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.42 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4884 years in 1971.
- How does Gambia rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Gambia ranks 70th out of 214 countries with data for 2021.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 135.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia 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 — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release