School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in South Africa

South Africa: School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes was 0.364 years in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
0.364 years
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
31st
of 109 countries
All-time high
0.3746 years
in 2017
All-time low
0.1383 years
in 2010
Years of data
17
1999–2018

School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in South Africa, 1999–2018

00.10.20.30.41999200820181999: 0.164 years2000: 0.163 years2001: 0.14 years2002: 0.162 years2003: 0.168 years2004: 0.175 years2005: 0.143 years2009: 0.142 years2010: 0.138 years2011: 0.154 years2012: 0.209 years2013: 0.266 years2014: 0.311 years2015: 0.343 years2016: 0.355 years2017: 0.375 years2018: 0.364 years

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.364 years for school life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in 2018.

That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and up 157.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in South Africa peaked at 0.3746 years in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.1383 years, in 2010.

That places South Africa 31st out of 109 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes (years) in South Africa, 1999 to 2018.
Year years Change
1999 0.1636 years
2000 0.1631 years -0.3%
2001 0.1399 years -14.2%
2002 0.1622 years +15.9%
2003 0.168 years +3.6%
2004 0.1748 years +4.1%
2005 0.1432 years -18.1%
2009 0.1416 years -1.1%
2010 0.1383 years -2.3%
2011 0.1541 years +11.4%
2012 0.2088 years +35.5%
2013 0.2662 years +27.5%
2014 0.3115 years +17.0%
2015 0.3432 years +10.2%
2016 0.3547 years +3.3%
2017 0.3746 years +5.6%
2018 0.364 years -2.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.1636 years 0.1636 years 0.1636 years 1
2000s 0.1561 years 0.1399 years 0.1748 years 7
2010s 0.2795 years 0.1383 years 0.3746 years 9

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 28 Romania 0.3978 years compare
  2. 29 Ireland 0.3957 years compare
  3. 30 Trinidad and Tobago 0.3901 years compare
  4. 32 Finland 0.3623 years compare
  5. 33 Liechtenstein 0.3164 years compare
  6. 34 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.2908 years compare

See the full ranking of 109 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in South Africa?
School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in South Africa was 0.364 years in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.3746 years in 2017.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1383 years in 2010.
How does South Africa rank for school life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes?
South Africa ranks 31st out of 109 countries with data for 2018.
Is school life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 157.1%. 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, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-post-secondary-non-tertiary-both-sexes-years/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, post-secondary non-tertiary, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
109 places, 1,403 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed

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.