School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 7.79 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in United Kingdom, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in United Kingdom stood at 7.79 years.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in United Kingdom peaked at 8.73 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 6.48 years, in 2012.
United Kingdom ranks 22nd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.09 years | — |
| 2001 | 7.1 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 7.21 years | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 7.16 years | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 7.35 years | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 7.4 years | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 6.89 years | -6.9% |
| 2007 | 6.84 years | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 6.92 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 7.04 years | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 7.22 years | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 6.59 years | -8.6% |
| 2012 | 6.48 years | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 8.56 years | +32.2% |
| 2014 | 8.73 years | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 8.56 years | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 8.52 years | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 8.19 years | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 8.04 years | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 7.91 years | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 7.88 years | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 7.86 years | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 7.79 years | -0.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 7.79 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.57 years, 1.2× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 7.79 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.3 years, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +32.2% | 6.48 years | 8.56 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.1 years | 6.84 years | 7.4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.88 years | 6.48 years | 8.73 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 7.86 years | 7.79 years | 7.91 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in United Kingdom?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in United Kingdom was 7.79 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 8.73 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.48 years in 2012.
- How does United Kingdom rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- United Kingdom ranks 22nd out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release