School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in WB: Africa Western and Central
WB: Africa Western and Central: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes was 2.97 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.97 years
Change on year
down 0.3%
Rank
182nd
of 221 groups
All-time high
2.99 years
in 2013
All-time low
0.5669 years
in 1970
Years of data
55
1970–2024
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in WB: Africa Western and Central, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
WB: Africa Western and Central recorded 2.97 years for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in WB: Africa Western and Central peaked at 2.99 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.5669 years, in 1970.
That places WB: Africa Western and Central 182nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in WB: Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.5669 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.5797 years | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 0.6286 years | +8.4% |
| 1973 | 0.659 years | +4.8% |
| 1974 | 0.6728 years | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 0.6958 years | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 0.7284 years | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 0.7662 years | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 0.8358 years | +9.1% |
| 1979 | 0.9179 years | +9.8% |
| 1980 | 1.03 years | +12.5% |
| 1981 | 1.16 years | +12.8% |
| 1982 | 1.29 years | +11.1% |
| 1983 | 1.43 years | +10.8% |
| 1984 | 1.55 years | +8.3% |
| 1985 | 1.57 years | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 1.38 years | -11.9% |
| 1987 | 1.38 years | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 1.36 years | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 1.3 years | -4.5% |
| 1990 | 1.31 years | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 1.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 1.32 years | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 1.33 years | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 1.33 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 1.34 years | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 1.34 years | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.34 years | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 1.36 years | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.38 years | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 1.44 years | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 1.55 years | +7.5% |
| 2002 | 1.64 years | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 1.75 years | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 1.86 years | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 1.9 years | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 1.92 years | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.94 years | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 2.11 years | +8.7% |
| 2009 | 2.27 years | +7.9% |
| 2010 | 2.48 years | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 2.59 years | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 2.69 years | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 2.99 years | +11.4% |
| 2014 | 2.74 years | -8.4% |
| 2015 | 2.82 years | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 2.73 years | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 2.74 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 2.75 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 2.83 years | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 2.88 years | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 2.94 years | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 2.93 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 2.98 years | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 2.97 years | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7051 years | 0.5669 years | 0.9179 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.35 years | 1.03 years | 1.57 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.34 years | 1.31 years | 1.38 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.84 years | 1.44 years | 2.27 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.73 years | 2.48 years | 2.99 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.94 years | 2.88 years | 2.98 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near WB: Africa Western and Central
More education data for WB: Africa Western and Central
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 4.61 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 7.4 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.89 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.08 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.08 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7294 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.00 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.08 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 18.05 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in WB: Africa Western and Central was 2.97 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 2.99 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5669 years in 1970.
- How does WB: Africa Western and Central rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- WB: Africa Western and Central ranks 182nd out of 221 groups with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Africa Western and Central 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 — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release