School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Uruguay
Uruguay: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 7.21 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
7.21 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
41st
of 214 countries
All-time high
7.21 years
in 2023
All-time low
3.46 years
in 1979
Years of data
52
1970–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Uruguay, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Uruguay stood at 7.21 years. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Uruguay peaked at 7.21 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.46 years, in 1979.
Uruguay ranks 41st of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.58 years | — |
| 1971 | 3.64 years | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 3.78 years | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 3.88 years | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 3.85 years | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 3.69 years | -4.0% |
| 1976 | 3.7 years | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 3.61 years | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 3.52 years | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 3.46 years | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 3.8 years | +9.8% |
| 1982 | 3.86 years | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 4.03 years | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 4.24 years | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 4.34 years | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 4.5 years | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 4.52 years | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 4.68 years | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 4.76 years | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 4.92 years | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 5.06 years | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 4.99 years | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 4.95 years | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 4.98 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 5.1 years | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 5.31 years | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 5.51 years | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 5.66 years | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 5.82 years | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 6.07 years | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 6.36 years | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 6.64 years | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 6.55 years | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 6.17 years | -5.8% |
| 2006 | 6.14 years | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 5.62 years | -8.4% |
| 2008 | 5.36 years | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 5.44 years | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 6.14 years | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 6.21 years | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 6.29 years | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 6.38 years | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 6.48 years | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 6.7 years | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 6.94 years | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 6.96 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 7.1 years | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 6.96 years | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 7.1 years | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 7.14 years | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 7.21 years | +1.1% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 7.21 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.57 years, 1.1× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 7.21 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.14 years, 1.4× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.67 years | 3.46 years | 3.88 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.3 years | 3.8 years | 4.76 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 5.17 years | 4.92 years | 5.66 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.02 years | 5.36 years | 6.64 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.52 years | 6 years | 7.1 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.1 years | 6.96 years | 7.21 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 38 Brazil 7.24 years compare
- 39 Martinique 7.22 years compare
- 40 Serbia 7.22 years compare
- 42 North Macedonia 7.21 years compare
- 43 Saint Kitts and Nevis 7.18 years compare
- 44 Kazakhstan 7.16 years compare
More education data for Uruguay
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25,390 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,520 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 57,513 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 54,922 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 337,808 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 287,527 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.35 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0849 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Uruguay?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Uruguay was 7.21 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 7.21 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.46 years in 1979.
- How does Uruguay rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Uruguay ranks 41st out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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