School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 7.04 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.04 years
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
50th
of 214 countries
All-time high
7.69 years
in 2018
All-time low
3.44 years
in 1976
Years of data
34
1970–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 7.04 years for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in 2023.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 7.69 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3.44 years, in 1976.
Sri Lanka ranks 50th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.45 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.62 years | +5.0% |
| 1972 | 3.89 years | +7.5% |
| 1973 | 3.87 years | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 3.74 years | -3.4% |
| 1976 | 3.44 years | -8.0% |
| 1980 | 3.79 years | +10.2% |
| 1981 | 3.82 years | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 3.85 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 4 years | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 4.15 years | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 4.27 years | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 4.46 years | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 5.51 years | +23.6% |
| 1988 | 5.67 years | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 5.8 years | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 5.87 years | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 5.85 years | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 5.94 years | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 5.96 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 6.09 years | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 6.1 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 7.4 years | +21.3% |
| 2011 | 7.54 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 7.59 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 7.61 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 7.47 years | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 7.56 years | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 7.51 years | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 7.53 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 7.69 years | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 7.18 years | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 7.06 years | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 7.04 years | -0.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 7.04 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.89 years, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 7.04 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 5.32 years, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.67 years | 3.44 years | 3.89 years | 6 |
| 1980s | 4.53 years | 3.79 years | 5.8 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.97 years | 5.85 years | 6.1 years | 6 |
| 2010s | 7.54 years | 7.4 years | 7.69 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 7.09 years | 7.04 years | 7.18 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 47 Palestine 7.09 years compare
- 48 Spain 7.06 years compare
- 49 Switzerland 7.05 years compare
- 51 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.03 years compare
- 52 Norway 6.94 years compare
- 53 Cook Islands 6.92 years compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 7.04 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 7.69 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.44 years in 1976.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 50th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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