School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) was 3.24 years in 2019. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia, 1971–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2019, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia stood at 3.24 years. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 105.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia peaked at 3.24 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.0805 years, in 1971.
Saudi Arabia ranks 39th of 183 countries on this measure, 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 (years) (tertiary both) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.0805 years | — |
| 1972 | 0.0859 years | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 0.0983 years | +14.4% |
| 1974 | 0.1231 years | +25.3% |
| 1975 | 0.1562 years | +26.8% |
| 1976 | 0.1996 years | +27.8% |
| 1977 | 0.2333 years | +16.9% |
| 1978 | 0.2976 years | +27.6% |
| 1979 | 0.3058 years | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 0.3257 years | +6.5% |
| 1981 | 0.3674 years | +12.8% |
| 1982 | 0.3826 years | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 0.4122 years | +7.8% |
| 1984 | 0.4139 years | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 0.4617 years | +11.5% |
| 1986 | 0.4905 years | +6.2% |
| 1987 | 0.4638 years | -5.4% |
| 1989 | 0.4375 years | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 0.4771 years | +9.0% |
| 1991 | 0.5192 years | +8.8% |
| 1992 | 0.5675 years | +9.3% |
| 1993 | 0.6858 years | +20.8% |
| 1994 | 0.7257 years | +5.8% |
| 1995 | 0.839 years | +15.6% |
| 1996 | 0.8789 years | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 0.8661 years | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 0.8753 years | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.05 years | +19.8% |
| 2000 | 1.12 years | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 1.19 years | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 1.17 years | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 1.35 years | +14.7% |
| 2004 | 1.44 years | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 1.48 years | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 1.52 years | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 1.53 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.56 years | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.58 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 1.85 years | +17.3% |
| 2011 | 2.04 years | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 2.34 years | +14.8% |
| 2013 | 2.59 years | +10.7% |
| 2014 | 2.86 years | +10.3% |
| 2015 | 2.96 years | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 3.09 years | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 3.18 years | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 3.06 years | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 3.24 years | +5.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 3.24 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.2 years, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 3.24 years is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.85 years, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1756 years | 0.0805 years | 0.3058 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.4173 years | 0.3257 years | 0.4905 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.7483 years | 0.4771 years | 1.05 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.39 years | 1.12 years | 1.58 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.72 years | 1.85 years | 3.24 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.72 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.47 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Saudi Arabia was 3.24 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.24 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0805 years in 1971.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 39th out of 183 countries with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 105.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.