School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Asia
South Asia: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes was 1.24 years in 2019. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Asia, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2019, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Asia stood at 1.24 years. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 76.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Asia peaked at 1.24 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.2158 years, in 1977.
South Asia ranks 27th of 43 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Asia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.2176 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.2189 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 0.2198 years | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 0.2211 years | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 0.2235 years | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 0.2218 years | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 0.2207 years | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 0.2158 years | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2198 years | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 0.224 years | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 0.2232 years | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 0.2337 years | +4.7% |
| 1982 | 0.2263 years | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 0.2547 years | +12.6% |
| 1984 | 0.269 years | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 0.2683 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 0.2755 years | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 0.2853 years | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 0.2543 years | -10.9% |
| 1989 | 0.2622 years | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 0.2714 years | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 0.2736 years | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 0.2668 years | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 0.2626 years | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 0.2582 years | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 0.2544 years | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 0.2837 years | +11.5% |
| 1997 | 0.2953 years | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 0.3337 years | +13.0% |
| 1999 | 0.3721 years | +11.5% |
| 2000 | 0.4098 years | +10.1% |
| 2001 | 0.4223 years | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 0.4394 years | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 0.4561 years | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 0.4692 years | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 0.4722 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 0.5078 years | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 0.577 years | +13.6% |
| 2008 | 0.6533 years | +13.2% |
| 2009 | 0.7065 years | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 0.7862 years | +11.3% |
| 2011 | 0.9769 years | +24.3% |
| 2012 | 1.04 years | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 1.03 years | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 1.09 years | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 1.14 years | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 1.15 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.17 years | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 1.21 years | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 1.24 years | +3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2203 years | 0.2158 years | 0.224 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2552 years | 0.2232 years | 0.2853 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2872 years | 0.2544 years | 0.3721 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5114 years | 0.4098 years | 0.7065 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.08 years | 0.7862 years | 1.24 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More education data for South Asia
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.6% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 119.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.84 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0035 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 119.2% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 118.8% (2024)
- Labor force, female 29.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Asia?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in South Asia was 1.24 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.24 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2158 years in 1977.
- How does South Asia rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- South Asia ranks 27th out of 43 groups with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Asia 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.