Statizoid

School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) by country

Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not...

Countries reporting
182
Highest
6.53 years
Greece
Lowest
0.0412 years
Malawi
Median
1.62 years
Years covered
51
1970–2020
Data points
7,799

What the numbers show

School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) is currently reported for 182 countries. The highest value is 6.53 years in Greece; the lowest is 0.0412 years in Malawi.

The median across all reporting countries is 1.62 years, and the mean is 1.94 years.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 159.

Over the past decade 151 countries rose and 26 fell. The largest increase was in Dominica (up 958.5%), and the largest decrease in British Virgin Islands (down 73.4%).

School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Greece 6.53 years 2018 up 64.2% volatile
2 Turkey 5.97 years 2018 up 190.8% volatile
3 Puerto Rico 5.45 years 2018 up 31.4% rising
4 Australia 5.08 years 2018 — volatile
5 Grenada 4.98 years 2018 up 54.4% volatile
6 South Korea 4.65 years 2018 down 4.6% volatile
7 Argentina 4.5 years 2017 up 29.0% volatile
8 Macao 4.43 years 2019 up 50.1% rising
9 Chile 4.39 years 2018 up 48.5% volatile
10 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.33 years 2015 up 332.9% volatile
11 Finland 4.29 years 2018 down 6.4% rising
12 Netherlands 4.24 years 2018 up 42.2% rising
13 Russia 4.23 years 2018 up 13.1% rising
14 New Zealand 4.19 years 2018 up 2.7% volatile
15 Spain 4.17 years 2018 up 38.8% rising
16 Denmark 4.11 years 2018 up 16.1% rising
17 Norway 4.06 years 2018 up 16.1% rising
18 United States 3.99 years 2018 up 0.6% rising
19 Venezuela 3.97 years 2009 up 176.7% volatile
20 Belarus 3.96 years 2018 up 11.0% rising
21 Hong Kong 3.92 years 2019 up 38.9% volatile
22 Austria 3.92 years 2018 up 24.4% volatile
23 Ukraine 3.9 years 2014 up 16.6% rising
24 Belgium 3.82 years 2018 up 26.2% rising
25 Iceland 3.79 years 2018 up 0.6% volatile
26 Slovenia 3.6 years 2018 down 12.2% volatile
27 Ireland 3.58 years 2018 up 36.3% volatile
28 Latvia 3.54 years 2018 up 1.7% rising
29 Peru 3.54 years 2017 up 106.7% volatile
30 Cyprus 3.38 years 2018 up 70.7% volatile
31 Canada 3.36 years 2018 up 6.5% falling
32 Israel 3.36 years 2018 up 6.4% rising
33 Croatia 3.33 years 2018 up 35.4% rising
34 Sweden 3.32 years 2018 down 5.9% rising
35 Lithuania 3.31 years 2018 down 18.6% rising
36 Germany 3.3 years 2018 up 14.4% rising
37 France 3.29 years 2018 up 36.0% rising
38 Barbados 3.27 years 2011 up 64.3% volatile
39 Saudi Arabia 3.24 years 2019 up 105.3% volatile
40 Mongolia 3.19 years 2018 up 25.4% volatile
41 Poland 3.17 years 2018 down 8.6% volatile
42 Portugal 3.16 years 2018 up 14.4% volatile
43 Uruguay 3.16 years 2017 up 24.5% rising
44 Bulgaria 3.15 years 2018 up 23.1% rising
45 Georgia 3.11 years 2019 up 113.9% rising
46 Serbia 3.09 years 2019 up 31.1% rising
47 Italy 3.05 years 2018 down 1.6% rising
48 Libya 3.02 years 2003 up 302.6% volatile
49 Albania 2.99 years 2019 up 79.4% volatile
50 Kazakhstan 2.97 years 2019 up 22.1% rising
51 United Kingdom 2.96 years 2018 up 6.5% rising
52 Dominican Republic 2.96 years 2017 up 73.6% volatile
53 Estonia 2.95 years 2018 down 14.6% rising
54 Iran 2.89 years 2018 up 53.5% volatile
55 Colombia 2.89 years 2018 up 60.1% volatile
56 Switzerland 2.88 years 2018 up 23.5% rising
57 Costa Rica 2.82 years 2019 up 23.3% volatile
58 Czechia 2.81 years 2018 up 2.3% volatile
59 Kuwait 2.77 years 2019 up 187.9% volatile
60 Malta 2.76 years 2018 up 70.2% volatile
61 Montenegro 2.71 years 2019 up 10.1% rising
62 China 2.67 years 2019 up 138.3% volatile
63 Algeria 2.57 years 2018 up 117.6% volatile
64 Bahrain 2.53 years 2019 up 15.0% volatile
65 Armenia 2.51 years 2019 down 3.3% rising
66 Thailand 2.46 years 2016 up 9.6% volatile
67 San Marino 2.45 years 2019 down 12.6% falling
68 Ecuador 2.43 years 2015 up 11.6% rising
69 Panama 2.39 years 2016 up 10.9% rising
70 Romania 2.39 years 2018 down 27.9% volatile
71 Hungary 2.36 years 2018 down 24.0% volatile
72 Palestine 2.28 years 2019 down 15.5% rising
73 Malaysia 2.2 years 2019 up 19.1% volatile
74 Mexico 2.15 years 2018 up 58.7% rising
75 North Macedonia 2.13 years 2018 up 7.4% rising
76 Kyrgyzstan 2.12 years 2019 down 10.6% rising
77 Slovakia 2.09 years 2018 down 21.7% rising
78 Cuba 2.07 years 2018 down 64.7% volatile
79 Mauritius 2.03 years 2017 up 64.8% volatile
80 Syria 2 years 2016 up 92.1% rising
81 Paraguay 1.98 years 2010 up 149.0% volatile
82 Brazil 1.95 years 2011 up 101.9% rising
83 Morocco 1.93 years 2019 up 182.0% volatile
84 Indonesia 1.89 years 2018 up 82.5% volatile
85 United Arab Emirates 1.85 years 2017 up 117.7% volatile
86 Moldova 1.84 years 2019 down 4.0% rising
87 Philippines 1.77 years 2017 up 27.4% rising
88 Oman 1.77 years 2019 up 54.5% volatile
89 Egypt 1.76 years 2017 up 16.2% rising
90 Jordan 1.76 years 2018 down 14.5% volatile
91 Tajikistan 1.62 years 2017 up 43.2% rising
92 El Salvador 1.61 years 2018 up 21.2% rising
93 Liechtenstein 1.61 years 2018 up 3.5% rising
94 Azerbaijan 1.6 years 2019 up 66.8% rising
95 Tunisia 1.59 years 2019 down 9.0% volatile
96 Brunei 1.57 years 2019 up 86.6% volatile
97 Maldives 1.56 years 2017 up 219.4% volatile
98 Honduras 1.5 years 2018 up 45.2% volatile
99 Vietnam 1.43 years 2019 up 41.6% volatile
100 India 1.43 years 2019 up 78.2% volatile
101 Namibia 1.41 years 2017 up 336.7% volatile
102 Botswana 1.36 years 2019 up 15.2% volatile
103 Jamaica 1.36 years 2015 up 42.3% volatile
104 Cayman Islands 1.34 years 2008 up 73.1% rising
105 Guatemala 1.34 years 2015 up 55.0% volatile
106 Belize 1.33 years 2019 up 19.0% rising
107 Lebanon 1.31 years 1985 up 22.5% rising
108 South Africa 1.25 years 2018 up 11.3% rising
109 Bangladesh 1.21 years 2019 up 120.7% volatile
110 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.18 years 2015 — volatile
111 Cape Verde 1.13 years 2018 up 87.6% volatile
112 Sri Lanka 1.06 years 2019 up 29.3% volatile
113 Myanmar 0.9737 years 2018 up 83.5% volatile
114 Bermuda 0.955 years 2018 down 27.2% rising
115 Samoa 0.9195 years 2018 — volatile
116 Seychelles 0.902 years 2019 up 622.6% volatile
117 Aruba 0.8758 years 2016 down 43.4% falling
118 Nicaragua 0.8712 years 2002 up 109.5% rising
119 Luxembourg 0.8618 years 2018 up 68.9% volatile
120 Ghana 0.8617 years 2019 up 95.9% volatile
121 Sudan 0.8459 years 2015 up 38.5% rising
122 Bhutan 0.8224 years 2020 up 127.0% volatile
123 British Virgin Islands 0.8216 years 2018 down 73.4% falling
124 Iraq 0.8079 years 2005 up 38.5% rising
125 Fiji 0.8068 years 2005 up 36.8% volatile
126 Saint Lucia 0.7811 years 2019 down 13.1% volatile
127 Qatar 0.7648 years 2019 up 77.5% flat
128 Bahamas 0.7529 years 1995 up 0.4% falling
129 Cambodia 0.7396 years 2019 up 25.7% volatile
130 Laos 0.7353 years 2019 down 15.0% volatile
131 Cameroon 0.7134 years 2018 up 63.1% volatile
132 Micronesia (country) 0.7059 years 2000 — falling
133 Togo 0.7009 years 2019 up 50.2% volatile
134 Benin 0.6873 years 2018 up 70.8% volatile
135 Turkmenistan 0.6847 years 2019 up 71.9% falling
136 Congo 0.678 years 2017 up 116.8% volatile
137 Sao Tome and Principe 0.6692 years 2015 up 238.0% rising
138 Nepal 0.6663 years 2019 up 19.4% volatile
139 Senegal 0.6568 years 2019 up 65.5% volatile
140 Suriname 0.6281 years 2002 up 18.7% rising
141 Uzbekistan 0.6213 years 2019 up 21.7% falling
142 Guinea 0.6083 years 2014 up 343.9% volatile
143 Trinidad and Tobago 0.5975 years 2004 up 64.1% rising
144 Liberia 0.5961 years 2012 down 39.3% volatile
145 Guyana 0.5811 years 2012 up 52.0% volatile
146 Kenya 0.5732 years 2017 up 290.9% volatile
147 Cote d'Ivoire 0.568 years 2017 up 26.1% volatile
148 Lesotho 0.5666 years 2018 up 174.0% volatile
149 Nigeria 0.5087 years 2011 up 66.1% volatile
150 Yemen 0.5076 years 2011 down 8.2% rising
151 Angola 0.5014 years 2016 up 321.4% volatile
152 Zimbabwe 0.5003 years 2015 up 49.4% volatile
153 Afghanistan 0.4843 years 2018 up 156.6% volatile
154 Comoros 0.4497 years 2014 up 190.1% volatile
155 Pakistan 0.4479 years 2018 up 61.3% volatile
156 Gabon 0.4153 years 2003 up 56.8% volatile
157 Burkina Faso 0.4084 years 2019 up 108.3% volatile
158 Ethiopia 0.4053 years 2014 up 211.8% volatile
159 Eswatini 0.3823 years 2013 up 70.4% rising
160 Mozambique 0.3656 years 2018 up 103.9% volatile
161 Dominica 0.3617 years 1993 up 958.5% volatile
162 Rwanda 0.3484 years 2019 up 32.2% volatile
163 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.3302 years 2016 up 47.0% volatile
164 Tonga 0.3177 years 2003 — rising
165 Mali 0.3067 years 2015 up 193.3% volatile
166 Madagascar 0.296 years 2018 up 60.1% rising
167 Mauritania 0.2882 years 2019 up 18.6% rising
169 Uganda 0.2418 years 2014 up 31.8% volatile
170 Vanuatu 0.2371 years 2004 up 22.1% rising
171 Niger 0.2304 years 2019 up 243.0% volatile
172 Zambia 0.2058 years 2012 up 81.6% rising
173 Burundi 0.2029 years 2018 up 52.1% volatile
174 Eritrea 0.1681 years 2016 up 115.3% rising
175 Gambia 0.1655 years 2012 up 181.8% rising
176 Chad 0.1626 years 2015 up 128.9% volatile
177 Central African Republic 0.1564 years 2012 up 63.2% volatile
178 Tanzania 0.1546 years 2019 up 44.0% volatile
179 Somalia 0.123 years 1987 up 333.5% volatile
180 Sierra Leone 0.0979 years 2002 up 57.8% rising
181 Papua New Guinea 0.0889 years 1999 up 8.5% rising
182 Haiti 0.0527 years 1986 up 65.9% rising
183 Malawi 0.0412 years 2011 up 108.1% rising

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
228 places, 7,799 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.