School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) was 0.552 years in 2019. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Least developed countries, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 0.552 years for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in 2019. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.1% on the previous year and up 48.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Least developed countries peaked at 0.552 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.0822 years, in 1970.
That places Least developed countries 38th out of 45 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0822 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.0834 years | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 0.0861 years | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 0.0876 years | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 0.0952 years | +8.7% |
| 1975 | 0.0936 years | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 0.092 years | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 0.0984 years | +7.0% |
| 1978 | 0.0981 years | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 0.1111 years | +13.3% |
| 1980 | 0.113 years | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 0.1142 years | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 0.1226 years | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 0.1325 years | +8.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1383 years | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 0.1406 years | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 0.1417 years | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 0.1419 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 0.133 years | -6.3% |
| 1989 | 0.1332 years | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 0.1376 years | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1401 years | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 0.1399 years | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 0.1461 years | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 0.1453 years | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.1469 years | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 0.1511 years | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 0.1542 years | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 0.1612 years | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 0.1715 years | +6.4% |
| 2000 | 0.1846 years | +7.6% |
| 2001 | 0.2076 years | +12.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2134 years | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 0.2221 years | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 0.2271 years | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 0.2453 years | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 0.2693 years | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 0.2927 years | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 0.3249 years | +11.0% |
| 2009 | 0.3711 years | +14.2% |
| 2010 | 0.413 years | +11.3% |
| 2011 | 0.4413 years | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 0.4519 years | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.4619 years | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 0.4696 years | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 0.4888 years | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 0.497 years | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 0.4984 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.525 years | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 0.552 years | +5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0928 years | 0.0822 years | 0.1111 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1311 years | 0.113 years | 0.1419 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1494 years | 0.1376 years | 0.1715 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2558 years | 0.1846 years | 0.3711 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4799 years | 0.413 years | 0.552 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More education data for Least developed countries
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 171.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 57.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Least developed countries?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Least developed countries was 0.552 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 0.552 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0822 years in 1970.
- How does Least developed countries rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- Least developed countries ranks 38th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.