School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) was 2.96 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom, 1971–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom is 2.96 years, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom peaked at 2.96 years in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.729 years, in 1971.
United Kingdom ranks 51st of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.729 years | — |
| 1972 | 0.7719 years | +5.9% |
| 1973 | 0.8033 years | +4.1% |
| 1974 | 0.836 years | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 0.9273 years | +10.9% |
| 1976 | 0.959 years | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 0.9663 years | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 0.9563 years | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 0.9582 years | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 0.9425 years | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 0.9443 years | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 0.948 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 1.05 years | +11.1% |
| 1984 | 1.05 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 1.05 years | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 1.08 years | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 1.13 years | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 1.17 years | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 1.22 years | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 1.32 years | +8.5% |
| 1991 | 1.46 years | +10.2% |
| 1992 | 1.66 years | +13.9% |
| 1993 | 1.9 years | +14.3% |
| 1994 | 2.14 years | +12.7% |
| 1995 | 2.41 years | +12.7% |
| 1996 | 2.5 years | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 2.66 years | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 2.56 years | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 2.75 years | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 2.92 years | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 2.96 years | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 2.91 years | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 2.93 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 2.84 years | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 2.85 years | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 2.87 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 2.86 years | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 2.78 years | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.85 years | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 2.9 years | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 2.91 years | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 2.91 years | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 2.81 years | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 2.76 years | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.75 years | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 2.84 years | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 2.91 years | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 2.96 years | +1.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 2.96 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.2 years, 93% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 2.96 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.15 years, 94% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8786 years | 0.729 years | 0.9663 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.06 years | 0.9425 years | 1.22 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.14 years | 1.32 years | 2.75 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.88 years | 2.78 years | 2.96 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.86 years | 2.75 years | 2.96 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom was 2.96 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.96 years in 2001.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.729 years in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- United Kingdom ranks 51st out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.