School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes was 2.61 years in 2019. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2019, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 2.61 years.
The figure is up 30.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 2.61 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.5276 years, in 1970.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 12th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.5276 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.5413 years | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 0.5663 years | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 0.6019 years | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 0.6361 years | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 0.6836 years | +7.5% |
| 1976 | 0.7039 years | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 0.7114 years | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 0.7259 years | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 0.7471 years | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 0.7698 years | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 0.7963 years | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 0.809 years | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 0.8211 years | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 0.8477 years | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 0.8788 years | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 0.912 years | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 0.9209 years | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 0.9387 years | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 0.9396 years | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 0.9346 years | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 0.9428 years | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 0.9441 years | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 0.9358 years | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 0.9425 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 0.9594 years | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 0.9826 years | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 1.01 years | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 1.08 years | +6.3% |
| 1999 | 1.11 years | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 1.17 years | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 1.26 years | +8.1% |
| 2002 | 1.35 years | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 1.43 years | +5.5% |
| 2004 | 1.49 years | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 1.58 years | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 1.69 years | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 1.8 years | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 1.95 years | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 2 years | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 2.07 years | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 2.14 years | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 2.2 years | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 2.28 years | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 2.37 years | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 2.43 years | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 2.53 years | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 2.58 years | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.61 years | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 2.61 years | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6445 years | 0.5276 years | 0.7471 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8634 years | 0.7698 years | 0.9396 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9843 years | 0.9346 years | 1.11 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.57 years | 1.17 years | 2 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.38 years | 2.07 years | 2.61 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 9 Chile 4.39 years compare
- 10 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.33 years compare
- 11 Finland 4.29 years compare
- 12 Netherlands 4.24 years compare
- 13 Russian Federation 4.23 years compare
- 14 New Zealand 4.19 years compare
- 15 Spain 4.17 years compare
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Latin America & Caribbean was 2.61 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 2.61 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5276 years in 1970.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 12th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.
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About this data
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.