Statizoid

School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) by country

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...

Countries reporting
195
Highest
8.91 years
Malawi
Lowest
1.4 years
Somalia
Median
6.12 years
Years covered
51
1970–2020
Data points
9,854

What the numbers show

School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) is currently reported for 195 countries. The highest value is 8.91 years in Malawi; the lowest is 1.4 years in Somalia.

The median across all reporting countries is 6.12 years, and the mean is 5.98 years.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 6.

Over the past decade 95 countries rose and 99 fell. The largest increase was in Papua New Guinea (up 105.2%), and the largest decrease in Oman (down 34.4%).

School life expectancy, primary, both sexes: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Malawi 8.91 years 2019 up 8.6% rising
2 Namibia 8.9 years 2018 up 10.8% flat
3 Sierra Leone 8.56 years 2019 up 23.8% rising
4 Gabon 8.45 years 2011 up 4.1% flat
5 Lesotho 8.42 years 2017 down 3.2% rising
6 Mozambique 8.32 years 2019 up 0.9% rising
7 Eswatini 8.24 years 2018 down 2.3% rising
8 Rwanda 8.1 years 2019 down 11.3% rising
10 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7.95 years 2018 up 3.6% falling
11 Zimbabwe 7.86 years 2013 up 7.7% rising
12 Saint Kitts and Nevis 7.62 years 2016 down 0.7% rising
13 Togo 7.56 years 2019 down 0.6% rising
14 Sweden 7.55 years 2018 up 27.1% rising
15 Grenada 7.53 years 2018 down 0.8% falling
16 Trinidad and Tobago 7.41 years 2010 up 1.7% falling
17 United States Virgin Islands 7.4 years 1993 up 3.2% flat
18 Guinea-Bissau 7.38 years 2010 up 55.9% rising
19 Bhutan 7.37 years 2020 down 1.6% rising
20 Antigua and Barbuda 7.34 years 2018 down 7.9% rising
21 Botswana 7.33 years 2015 down 6.0% rising
22 Nauru 7.31 years 2019 up 30.2% flat
23 Burundi 7.28 years 2019 down 8.7% volatile
24 Nicaragua 7.25 years 2010 up 16.2% rising
25 British Virgin Islands 7.23 years 2018 down 8.7% flat
26 Uganda 7.21 years 2017 down 18.2% rising
27 Saint Lucia 7.15 years 2019 up 1.3% falling
28 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.11 years 2018 up 16.8% rising
29 Zambia 7.06 years 2017 down 15.3% rising
30 Denmark 7.04 years 2018 up 17.9% rising
31 Iceland 7.03 years 2018 up 1.1% rising
32 Australia 7.02 years 2018 down 4.3% rising
33 Dominica 7.02 years 2019 up 0.3% falling
34 Vanuatu 7.02 years 2015 down 2.0% flat
35 Norway 7.01 years 2018 up 0.8% rising
36 Aruba 6.99 years 2014 up 4.6% flat
37 Fiji 6.99 years 2019 up 11.1% flat
38 American Samoa 6.98 years 1992 down 11.5% falling
39 Tonga 6.96 years 2015 up 3.4% flat
40 Tanzania 6.96 years 2019 down 7.8% rising
41 Benin 6.96 years 2019 down 2.1% rising
42 Tunisia 6.96 years 2018 up 11.1% rising
43 Nepal 6.95 years 2019 up 1.0% rising
44 Turks and Caicos Islands 6.95 years 2018 up 26.6% falling
45 Samoa 6.95 years 2019 up 8.4% rising
46 Morocco 6.94 years 2019 up 8.7% rising
47 South Africa 6.93 years 2018 down 7.9% rising
48 Costa Rica 6.92 years 2019 up 0.2% rising
49 Maldives 6.86 years 2019 down 10.2% rising
50 Madagascar 6.84 years 2019 down 11.6% rising
51 Palau 6.82 years 2014 up 24.1% rising
52 Peru 6.82 years 2019 up 3.4% flat
53 Haiti 6.81 years 1998 up 38.0% rising
54 Angola 6.81 years 2015 up 14.7% rising
55 Solomon Islands 6.78 years 2018 up 2.3% rising
56 Dominican Republic 6.74 years 2019 up 0.2% rising
57 East Timor 6.73 years 2019 down 9.5% rising
58 Papua New Guinea 6.66 years 2016 up 105.2% rising
59 Iraq 6.63 years 2007 up 28.9% rising
60 Belize 6.62 years 2019 down 2.9% flat
61 Argentina 6.6 years 2017 down 7.0% falling
62 Tuvalu 6.6 years 2019 down 0.5% flat
63 Hong Kong 6.57 years 2019 up 4.2% falling
64 Suriname 6.57 years 2019 down 4.4% falling
65 Iran 6.57 years 2017 up 31.6% rising
66 Congo 6.55 years 2012 up 5.4% falling
67 Libya 6.54 years 2006 up 1.2% falling
68 Sao Tome and Principe 6.5 years 2017 down 13.1% rising
69 Cambodia 6.48 years 2019 down 12.4% rising
70 Gibraltar 6.47 years 2019 down 3.6% flat
71 Guam 6.46 years 1989 down 17.5% falling
72 Ghana 6.43 years 2019 up 3.6% rising
73 Egypt 6.4 years 2019 up 5.1% rising
75 Indonesia 6.38 years 2018 down 1.4% rising
76 Cameroon 6.37 years 2019 down 1.0% rising
77 Portugal 6.36 years 2018 down 8.3% falling
78 Uruguay 6.35 years 2018 down 7.1% flat
79 Malaysia 6.32 years 2017 up 7.5% rising
80 Switzerland 6.31 years 2018 up 1.9% rising
81 Mexico 6.3 years 2018 down 4.0% falling
82 Israel 6.3 years 2018 up 0.9% flat
83 Netherlands 6.3 years 2018 down 2.9% rising
84 Paraguay 6.27 years 2012 down 11.6% rising
85 Afghanistan 6.26 years 2018 up 3.4% volatile
86 Gambia 6.25 years 2019 up 29.4% rising
87 Cape Verde 6.25 years 2018 down 8.4% rising
88 Mauritania 6.24 years 2019 up 2.0% rising
89 Belgium 6.2 years 2018 up 1.4% flat
91 Kenya 6.19 years 2016 up 1.4% rising
92 Ecuador 6.19 years 2018 down 4.6% flat
93 Qatar 6.16 years 2019 down 1.9% falling
94 Cuba 6.16 years 2019 up 2.0% falling
95 Macao 6.15 years 2019 up 10.5% rising
96 Slovenia 6.14 years 2018 up 3.8% rising
97 Chile 6.14 years 2018 down 4.7% falling
98 Philippines 6.13 years 2018 down 4.3% flat
99 Kiribati 6.12 years 2017 down 3.4% falling
100 Central African Republic 6.12 years 2016 up 55.5% rising
101 China 6.12 years 2019 up 2.5% rising
102 Spain 6.11 years 2018 down 2.6% rising
103 Guatemala 6.11 years 2019 down 12.7% rising
104 Ethiopia 6.09 years 2015 up 22.9% volatile
105 Comoros 6.09 years 2018 down 6.5% rising
106 Canada 6.09 years 2018 up 3.6% flat
107 Saudi Arabia 6.08 years 2019 down 3.1% rising
108 United States 6.07 years 2018 down 1.8% rising
109 Bermuda 6.07 years 2015 up 3.6% falling
110 United Kingdom 6.07 years 2018 down 3.8% flat
111 New Zealand 6.06 years 2018 up 0.1% falling
112 Seychelles 6.04 years 2019 down 6.6% flat
113 Cote d'Ivoire 6.04 years 2019 up 36.7% rising
114 Thailand 6.04 years 2019 up 1.7% flat
115 Brunei 6.02 years 2019 down 6.2% falling
116 Finland 6.02 years 2018 up 1.4% rising
117 Barbados 6.02 years 2019 down 0.1% falling
118 Cyprus 6 years 2018 down 3.1% rising
119 Latvia 5.99 years 2018 down 2.6% rising
120 Georgia 5.98 years 2019 down 3.0% rising
121 South Korea 5.98 years 2018 down 2.9% falling
122 Greece 5.96 years 2018 up 2.7% flat
123 Mauritius 5.95 years 2019 down 3.4% flat
124 Bolivia 5.9 years 2018 down 12.2% rising
125 Estonia 5.9 years 2018 down 3.5% flat
126 Bahrain 5.89 years 2019 up 3.5% falling
127 Guyana 5.89 years 2012 down 4.0% flat
128 Venezuela 5.84 years 2017 down 8.2% flat
129 Micronesia (country) 5.82 years 2019 down 14.3% falling
130 Poland 5.8 years 2018 up 2.1% falling
131 Bangladesh 5.8 years 2018 up 16.5% rising
132 Burkina Faso 5.79 years 2019 up 24.6% volatile
133 Vietnam 5.77 years 2019 up 13.0% flat
134 French Polynesia 5.74 years 1996 down 12.5% falling
135 Panama 5.68 years 2017 down 13.1% falling
136 El Salvador 5.68 years 2018 down 18.6% rising
137 Colombia 5.68 years 2018 down 8.8% rising
138 Yemen 5.67 years 2016 up 5.1% rising
139 Myanmar 5.59 years 2018 up 12.7% rising
140 Guinea 5.5 years 2016 up 12.8% rising
141 Liberia 5.48 years 2017 down 17.1% rising
142 Honduras 5.48 years 2019 down 9.1% rising
143 Chad 5.44 years 2019 up 10.5% rising
144 Algeria 5.41 years 2019 down 2.7% rising
145 United Arab Emirates 5.38 years 2017 up 6.4% flat
147 Cayman Islands 5.26 years 2018 down 8.5% falling
148 Albania 5.23 years 2019 up 13.8% rising
149 Mongolia 5.22 years 2018 down 0.1% rising
150 San Marino 5.22 years 2019 down 9.3% rising
151 Brazil 5.2 years 2011 down 12.7% falling
152 Nigeria 5.19 years 2016 down 19.7% rising
153 France 5.14 years 2018 down 0.8% falling
154 Jamaica 5.1 years 2019 down 11.8% falling
155 Czechia 5.07 years 2018 down 2.3% rising
156 Italy 5.04 years 2018 down 3.2% flat
157 Montenegro 5.03 years 2019 up 8.1% rising
158 Laos 5.02 years 2019 down 16.7% rising
159 Sri Lanka 5.01 years 2018 up 2.9% flat
160 Puerto Rico 4.99 years 2018 down 14.1% falling
161 Senegal 4.94 years 2019 down 3.7% rising
162 Jordan 4.91 years 2019 down 8.4% falling
163 North Macedonia 4.91 years 2018 up 11.5% rising
164 Pakistan 4.87 years 2019 up 16.1% rising
165 India 4.85 years 2019 down 11.3% rising
166 Bahamas 4.85 years 2018 down 16.8% falling
167 Marshall Islands 4.76 years 2019 down 19.1% falling
168 Lebanon 4.75 years 1985 down 30.0% falling
169 Sudan 4.68 years 2017 up 15.9% rising
170 Mali 4.49 years 2018 down 7.0% rising
171 Kuwait 4.42 years 2019 down 13.6% rising
172 Romania 4.37 years 2018 up 9.6% flat
173 Russia 4.19 years 2018 up 7.3% rising
174 Kyrgyzstan 4.17 years 2019 up 5.0% rising
175 Lithuania 4.17 years 2018 up 4.5% rising
176 Germany 4.14 years 2018 up 0.3% flat
177 Austria 4.13 years 2018 up 3.6% flat
178 Kazakhstan 4.1 years 2019 down 5.0% rising
179 Uzbekistan 4.08 years 2019 up 9.8% rising
180 Oman 4.07 years 2019 down 34.4% rising
181 Belarus 4.06 years 2018 down 2.8% falling
182 Tajikistan 4.02 years 2017 up 0.9% rising
183 Ukraine 4.02 years 2014 up 5.4% rising
184 Slovakia 4.01 years 2018 down 1.2% flat
185 Niger 4.01 years 2019 up 14.0% volatile
186 Serbia 3.98 years 2019 up 2.2% flat
187 Azerbaijan 3.98 years 2019 up 5.3% rising
188 Palestine 3.91 years 2019 up 9.1% rising
189 Hungary 3.88 years 2018 down 3.8% flat
190 Equatorial Guinea 3.87 years 2015 down 14.0% falling
191 Turkey 3.79 years 2018 down 26.0% falling
192 Croatia 3.78 years 2018 up 0.4% rising
193 Djibouti 3.71 years 2020 up 26.0% rising
194 Armenia 3.68 years 2019 up 10.7% rising
195 Moldova 3.58 years 2019 down 4.3% flat
196 Eritrea 3.56 years 2018 down 25.7% rising
197 Bulgaria 3.5 years 2018 down 19.4% flat
198 Syria 3.25 years 2013 down 32.8% falling
199 Somalia 1.4 years 2007 — rising

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, both sexes (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
244 places, 9,854 data points, 1970–2020
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.