School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years) by country

Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified levels 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...

Countries reporting
184
Highest
12.55 years
Tonga
Lowest
5.2 years
Equatorial Guinea
Median
9.15 years
Years covered
40
1981–2020
Data points
4,493

What the numbers show

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years) is currently reported for 184 countries. The highest value is 12.55 years in Tonga; the lowest is 5.2 years in Equatorial Guinea.

The median across all reporting countries is 9.15 years, and the mean is 9.15 years.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.

Over the past decade 107 countries rose and 76 fell. The largest increase was in Angola (up 165.0%), and the largest decrease in Syria (down 28.0%).

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Tonga 12.55 years 2015 up 13.1% rising
2 Namibia 12.14 years 2017 up 13.8% rising
3 Ireland 11.7 years 2018 up 4.0% rising
4 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11.58 years 2018 up 0.5% flat
5 Eswatini 11.56 years 2016 up 5.8% rising
6 Australia 11.55 years 2018 rising
7 Fiji 11.47 years 2019 up 12.2% rising
8 Algeria 11.45 years 2011 up 21.8% rising
9 Togo 11.38 years 2017 up 11.9% rising
10 Grenada 11.3 years 2018 down 1.0% flat
11 Benin 11.26 years 2016 up 23.7% rising
12 Antigua and Barbuda 11.06 years 2018 down 12.3% falling
13 Sweden 11.04 years 2018 up 24.0% rising
14 Saint Kitts and Nevis 11.03 years 2016 up 2.8% rising
15 Costa Rica 10.97 years 2019 up 5.7% rising
16 Sierra Leone 10.88 years 2019 up 22.2% rising
17 Bhutan 10.87 years 2020 up 5.9% rising
18 Malawi 10.85 years 2019 up 8.8% rising
19 Nauru 10.84 years 2019 up 37.0% rising
20 Belize 10.73 years 2019 up 4.0% flat
21 Denmark 10.67 years 2018 up 13.6% rising
22 Cameroon 10.6 years 2016 up 32.7% rising
23 Oman 10.58 years 2019 up 9.0% rising
24 Argentina 10.57 years 2017 up 0.5% flat
25 Lesotho 10.56 years 2017 up 3.5% rising
26 Lithuania 10.54 years 2018 up 1.6% rising
27 Dominica 10.53 years 2019 up 3.8% falling
28 Trinidad and Tobago 10.49 years 2009 up 9.7% rising
29 Angola 10.46 years 2011 up 165.0% rising
30 Peru 10.42 years 2019 up 8.4% flat
31 Maldives 10.38 years 2019 down 5.0% falling
32 Botswana 10.37 years 2015 down 2.7% flat
33 Netherlands 10.34 years 2018 down 0.7% falling
34 Morocco 10.26 years 2019 up 12.1% rising
35 Norway 10.18 years 2018 up 3.3% rising
36 New Zealand 10.17 years 2018 down 0.1% flat
37 Tunisia 10.17 years 2018 up 3.4% rising
38 Afghanistan 10.09 years 2018 up 5.8% rising
39 Uruguay 10.06 years 2018 down 0.0% rising
40 Iceland 10.04 years 2018 up 2.3% flat
41 Suriname 10.02 years 2019 up 0.2% rising
42 Germany 10.01 years 2018 down 2.2% flat
44 Portugal 9.96 years 2018 down 7.0% falling
45 Colombia 9.94 years 2018 down 1.8% rising
46 Vanuatu 9.92 years 2015 up 6.5% rising
47 Nepal 9.9 years 2019 up 12.0% rising
48 Sao Tome and Principe 9.88 years 2017 up 4.8% rising
49 Saint Lucia 9.87 years 2019 down 2.2% rising
50 Philippines 9.84 years 2018 up 9.3% rising
51 Rwanda 9.8 years 2019 down 2.8% rising
52 Luxembourg 9.8 years 2018 up 5.3% flat
53 Spain 9.79 years 2018 down 9.2% rising
54 Libya 9.79 years 2006 up 2.1% flat
55 Nicaragua 9.74 years 2010 up 23.2% rising
57 Thailand 9.7 years 2019 up 10.0% rising
58 Vietnam 9.68 years 2019 up 12.1% rising
59 Dominican Republic 9.67 years 2019 up 7.1% rising
60 United Arab Emirates 9.65 years 2017 up 12.6% rising
61 United Kingdom 9.64 years 2018 up 2.2% rising
62 Malta 9.63 years 2018 down 12.0% falling
63 Cape Verde 9.62 years 2018 down 3.7% flat
64 East Timor 9.61 years 2019 down 4.8% flat
65 British Virgin Islands 9.57 years 2018 down 17.7% flat
66 Iraq 9.51 years 2007 up 16.6% rising
67 Switzerland 9.48 years 2018 up 0.1% flat
68 Israel 9.46 years 2018 up 4.0% flat
69 Kazakhstan 9.45 years 2019 up 0.3% rising
70 Zimbabwe 9.45 years 2013 up 9.7% rising
71 Belgium 9.44 years 2018 up 8.7% flat
72 Macao 9.43 years 2019 up 10.3% flat
73 Liechtenstein 9.43 years 2018 down 1.4% flat
74 Egypt 9.42 years 2019 up 7.0% rising
75 Turks and Caicos Islands 9.4 years 2018 up 7.0% flat
76 Indonesia 9.4 years 2018 up 4.6% rising
77 Canada 9.39 years 2018 up 18.6% flat
78 Palau 9.38 years 2014 up 8.4% rising
79 Gibraltar 9.35 years 2019 up 11.5% rising
80 Mozambique 9.35 years 2017 down 2.9% rising
81 Mauritius 9.35 years 2019 up 2.3% flat
82 Brazil 9.33 years 2011 down 15.0% falling
83 Iran 9.33 years 2017 up 14.7% rising
84 Cote d'Ivoire 9.32 years 2019 up 21.0% rising
85 Russia 9.31 years 2018 up 16.1% rising
86 Saudi Arabia 9.29 years 2019 down 3.3% rising
87 Ecuador 9.29 years 2018 up 4.4% rising
88 Kyrgyzstan 9.25 years 2019 up 6.8% rising
89 Mongolia 9.25 years 2018 up 1.6% rising
90 France 9.23 years 2018 down 1.9% falling
91 Georgia 9.2 years 2019 up 1.5% flat
92 Cuba 9.17 years 2019 up 2.3% flat
93 United States 9.15 years 2018 down 0.9% flat
94 Finland 9.15 years 2018 up 2.3% flat
95 Guyana 9.15 years 2012 down 6.8% flat
96 Kuwait 9.13 years 2012 up 15.5% rising
97 Solomon Islands 9.12 years 2018 up 7.4% rising
98 Azerbaijan 9.12 years 2019 up 8.4% rising
99 Barbados 9.12 years 2019 up 0.8% flat
100 Qatar 9.12 years 2019 down 7.8% falling
101 Slovenia 9.09 years 2018 up 2.4% rising
102 Latvia 9.09 years 2018 down 5.0% rising
103 South Africa 9.09 years 2018 down 4.1% flat
104 Uzbekistan 9.08 years 2019 up 6.7% flat
105 Sri Lanka 9.07 years 2018 up 3.2% falling
106 Cyprus 9.06 years 2018 down 2.2% flat
107 Czechia 9.06 years 2018 down 0.4% rising
108 Greece 9.05 years 2018 up 0.6% rising
109 Tajikistan 9.04 years 2017 up 0.9% rising
110 Seychelles 9.04 years 2019 down 5.7% falling
111 Samoa 9.03 years 2019 up 4.5% rising
112 Poland 9.03 years 2018 up 5.0% rising
113 Estonia 9.02 years 2018 down 3.5% flat
114 Ghana 8.99 years 2019 up 2.6% rising
115 China 8.96 years 2010 up 9.1% rising
116 Belarus 8.96 years 2018 down 11.4% flat
117 Albania 8.92 years 2019 up 7.4% rising
118 Malaysia 8.89 years 2017 up 3.6% flat
119 South Korea 8.88 years 2018 down 2.8% flat
120 Comoros 8.86 years 2018 down 2.8% flat
121 Congo 8.83 years 2012 up 1.7% rising
122 Slovakia 8.81 years 2018 up 0.5% rising
123 Ukraine 8.8 years 2014 down 0.2% flat
124 Paraguay 8.79 years 2012 down 7.6% falling
125 Bahrain 8.78 years 2019 up 2.6% falling
126 Palestine 8.71 years 2019 down 2.4% rising
127 Bermuda 8.66 years 2015 up 4.9% flat
128 Myanmar 8.66 years 2018 up 20.7% rising
129 Montenegro 8.65 years 2019 down 3.2% flat
130 Venezuela 8.65 years 2017 down 4.2% rising
131 Burundi 8.62 years 2019 down 7.8% rising
132 Cambodia 8.61 years 2019 down 9.1% rising
133 Tanzania 8.58 years 2019 down 7.1% rising
135 Madagascar 8.56 years 2019 down 11.5% rising
136 Kiribati 8.54 years 2017 down 8.0% rising
137 Aruba 8.52 years 2012 down 8.8% flat
138 North Macedonia 8.45 years 2018 up 4.9% rising
139 El Salvador 8.42 years 2018 down 13.5% flat
140 Chile 8.28 years 2018 down 4.2% flat
141 Zambia 8.28 years 2017 down 15.8% rising
142 Guatemala 8.28 years 2019 down 9.2% rising
143 Italy 8.27 years 2018 down 1.7% flat
144 Guinea 8.26 years 2014 up 16.1% rising
145 Laos 8.22 years 2019 up 0.3% rising
146 Tuvalu 8.21 years 2019 down 13.6% falling
147 Austria 8.2 years 2018 up 1.1% flat
148 Ethiopia 8.18 years 2015 up 13.9% rising
149 Brunei 8.17 years 2019 down 18.7% falling
150 Yemen 8.15 years 2016 down 1.9% flat
151 Armenia 8.14 years 2019 down 3.3% rising
152 San Marino 8.11 years 2019 down 8.5% rising
153 Croatia 8.09 years 2018 up 0.6% rising
154 Kenya 8.02 years 2016 up 0.2% rising
155 Bangladesh 8.02 years 2018 up 23.5% rising
156 Serbia 7.99 years 2019 up 1.1% flat
157 Burkina Faso 7.98 years 2019 up 29.1% rising
158 Romania 7.97 years 2018 down 1.5% rising
159 Turkey 7.96 years 2018 down 4.1% flat
160 Hungary 7.95 years 2018 up 0.2% flat
161 Moldova 7.95 years 2019 down 3.5% falling
162 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.94 years 2015 up 7.2% rising
163 Bolivia 7.92 years 2018 down 9.7% falling
164 Mauritania 7.91 years 2019 up 13.7% rising
165 Gambia 7.86 years 2019 up 21.2% rising
166 Central African Republic 7.78 years 2016 up 43.8% rising
167 Jordan 7.77 years 2019 down 13.8% falling
168 Cayman Islands 7.75 years 2018 down 7.6% falling
169 Jamaica 7.72 years 2019 down 11.1% falling
170 Honduras 7.6 years 2019 down 3.0% falling
171 Micronesia (country) 7.51 years 2019 down 14.1% falling
172 Puerto Rico 7.47 years 2018 down 11.5% falling
173 Chad 7.33 years 2019 up 1.0% rising
174 Liberia 7.28 years 2017 down 13.8% falling
175 India 7.28 years 2019 down 4.8% rising
176 Pakistan 7.01 years 2019 up 18.1% rising
177 Bahamas 6.94 years 2018 down 21.9% falling
178 Nigeria 6.75 years 2016 down 17.9% falling
179 Senegal 6.6 years 2019 down 3.2% rising
180 Syria 6.58 years 2013 down 28.0% flat
181 Marshall Islands 6.57 years 2019 down 15.4% falling
182 Bulgaria 6.44 years 2018 down 18.6% falling
183 Mali 6.35 years 2018 down 7.6% rising
184 Niger 6.32 years 2017 up 46.6% rising
186 Eritrea 6.21 years 2018 down 17.8% rising
187 Sudan 6.06 years 2017 up 12.9% rising
188 Equatorial Guinea 5.2 years 2015 down 16.9% falling

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
233 places, 4,493 data points, 1981–2020
Last refreshed

Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified levels 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.