School life expectancy, tertiary, female (years) (School tertiary) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: School life expectancy, tertiary, female (years) (School tertiary) was 3.4 years in 2018. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, female in United Kingdom, 1971–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, tertiary, female in United Kingdom is 3.4 years, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, female in United Kingdom peaked at 3.4 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.4904 years, in 1971.
That places United Kingdom 49th out of 177 countries with data for 2018, putting it 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, female (years) (School tertiary) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.4904 years | — |
| 1972 | 0.5278 years | +7.6% |
| 1973 | 0.5645 years | +7.0% |
| 1974 | 0.6048 years | +7.1% |
| 1975 | 0.6794 years | +12.3% |
| 1976 | 0.7052 years | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 0.7078 years | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 0.6965 years | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 0.6996 years | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 0.7017 years | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 0.7051 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 0.7203 years | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 0.9444 years | +31.1% |
| 1984 | 0.9509 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 0.9548 years | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 0.9935 years | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 1.06 years | +6.3% |
| 1988 | 1.1 years | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 1.16 years | +5.2% |
| 1990 | 1.28 years | +10.6% |
| 1991 | 1.43 years | +11.7% |
| 1992 | 1.64 years | +15.1% |
| 1993 | 1.91 years | +16.2% |
| 1994 | 2.17 years | +13.7% |
| 1995 | 2.49 years | +14.6% |
| 1996 | 2.56 years | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 2.78 years | +8.9% |
| 1998 | 2.7 years | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 2.93 years | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 3.17 years | +8.3% |
| 2001 | 3.25 years | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.21 years | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.26 years | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 3.24 years | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 3.26 years | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 3.3 years | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 3.29 years | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 3.2 years | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 3.26 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 3.29 years | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 3.28 years | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 3.29 years | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 3.17 years | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 3.12 years | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 3.11 years | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 3.24 years | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 3.33 years | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 3.4 years | +2.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 3.4 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.6 years, 95% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 3.4 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.56 years, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, tertiary, female (years) (School tertiary) in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +31.1% | 0.7203 years | 0.9444 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.6307 years | 0.4904 years | 0.7078 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.9281 years | 0.7017 years | 1.16 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.19 years | 1.28 years | 2.93 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.24 years | 3.17 years | 3.3 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.25 years | 3.11 years | 3.4 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, female in United Kingdom?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, female in United Kingdom was 3.4 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4904 years in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, female?
- United Kingdom ranks 49th out of 177 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, female rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, tertiary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.