School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Africa
South Africa: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes was 1.25 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Africa, 1970–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.25 years for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in 2018. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 1.25 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.2129 years, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 108th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.2129 years | — |
| 1973 | 0.2202 years | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 0.576 years | +161.6% |
| 1989 | 0.6236 years | +8.3% |
| 1990 | 0.631 years | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 0.6497 years | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 0.6604 years | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 0.724 years | +9.6% |
| 1994 | 0.789 years | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 1.12 years | +42.1% |
| 2013 | 1.14 years | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 1.11 years | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 1.13 years | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.19 years | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 1.25 years | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2165 years | 0.2129 years | 0.2202 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.5998 years | 0.576 years | 0.6236 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.6908 years | 0.631 years | 0.789 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 1.16 years | 1.11 years | 1.25 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 105 Guatemala 1.34 years compare
- 106 Belize 1.33 years compare
- 107 Lebanon 1.31 years compare
- 109 Bangladesh 1.21 years compare
- 110 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.18 years compare
- 111 Cape Verde 1.13 years compare
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.68 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 818,404 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 3.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.19 million (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 225,583 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 61,727 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 748,573 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -1.43 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Africa?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Africa was 1.25 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.25 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2129 years in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- South Africa ranks 108th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.