School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes 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 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% |
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
- 48 Libya 3.02 years compare
- 49 Albania 2.99 years compare
- 50 Kazakhstan 2.97 years compare
- 52 Dominican Republic 2.96 years compare
- 53 Estonia 2.95 years compare
- 54 Iran, Islamic Republic of 2.89 years compare
More education data for United Kingdom
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 281,128 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 102.17 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (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.