School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in India
India: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 5.59 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5.59 years
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
109th
of 214 countries
All-time high
5.73 years
in 2022
All-time low
1.68 years
in 1971
Years of data
48
1971–2025
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in India, 1971–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in India stood at 5.59 years.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in India peaked at 5.73 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.68 years, in 1971.
India ranks 109th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in India, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.68 years | — |
| 1972 | 1.7 years | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 1.73 years | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 1.78 years | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 1.8 years | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 1.84 years | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 1.86 years | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 2.02 years | +8.3% |
| 1981 | 2.12 years | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 2.23 years | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 2.36 years | +6.2% |
| 1984 | 2.46 years | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 2.6 years | +5.8% |
| 1987 | 2.57 years | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 2.57 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.58 years | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 3.14 years | +21.7% |
| 1994 | 3.16 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 3.15 years | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 3.14 years | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 3.17 years | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 2.96 years | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 3.26 years | +10.2% |
| 2001 | 3.24 years | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 3.39 years | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 3.57 years | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 3.7 years | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 3.89 years | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 3.94 years | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 4.11 years | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 4.32 years | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 4.27 years | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 4.52 years | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 4.67 years | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 4.86 years | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 4.85 years | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 5.23 years | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 5.22 years | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 5.32 years | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 5.23 years | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 5.33 years | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 5.33 years | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 5.48 years | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 5.67 years | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 5.73 years | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 5.56 years | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 5.47 years | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 5.59 years | +2.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 5.59 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.2 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 5.59 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 5.32 years, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.77 years | 1.68 years | 1.86 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 2.39 years | 2.02 years | 2.6 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.12 years | 2.96 years | 3.17 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 3.77 years | 3.24 years | 4.32 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.06 years | 4.52 years | 5.33 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.58 years | 5.47 years | 5.73 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in India?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in India was 5.59 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.73 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.68 years in 1971.
- How does India rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- India ranks 109th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release