School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in United States
United States: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) was 4.02 years in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
4.02 years
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
26th
of 196 countries
All-time high
4.81 years
in 2012
All-time low
2.34 years
in 1971
Years of data
48
1971–2022
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United States, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United States is 4.02 years, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United States peaked at 4.81 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2.34 years, in 1971.
United States ranks 26th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (both sexes) in United States, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.34 years | — |
| 1972 | 2.4 years | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 2.42 years | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 2.42 years | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 2.51 years | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 2.68 years | +6.9% |
| 1977 | 2.59 years | -3.4% |
| 1978 | 2.62 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 2.59 years | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 2.64 years | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 2.77 years | +4.7% |
| 1982 | 2.84 years | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 2.88 years | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 2.94 years | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 2.96 years | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 3.05 years | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 3.2 years | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 3.34 years | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 3.43 years | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 3.57 years | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 3.64 years | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 3.85 years | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 3.94 years | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 3.97 years | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 4.02 years | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 3.97 years | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 3.54 years | -10.6% |
| 1999 | 3.44 years | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 3.32 years | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 3.37 years | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 3.91 years | +16.0% |
| 2005 | 4.11 years | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 4.19 years | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 4.24 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 4.31 years | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 4.47 years | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 4.75 years | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 4.81 years | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 4.58 years | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 4.51 years | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 4.47 years | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 4.42 years | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 4.36 years | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 4.35 years | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 4.33 years | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 4.31 years | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 4.18 years | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 4.02 years | -4.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 4.02 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.58 years, 1.1× the median. (73 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.51 years | 2.34 years | 2.68 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.01 years | 2.64 years | 3.43 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.77 years | 3.44 years | 4.02 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.99 years | 3.32 years | 4.47 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 4.51 years | 4.33 years | 4.81 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.17 years | 4.02 years | 4.31 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United States?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United States was 4.02 years in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 4.81 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.34 years in 1971.
- How does United States rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- United States ranks 26th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release