School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in India
India: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 4.85 years in 2019. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in India, 1971–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2019, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in India stood at 4.85 years.
That represents a change of down 14.2% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in India peaked at 5.74 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3.92 years, in 1971.
That places India 165th out of 199 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.08 years | 3.92 years | 4.25 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 4.37 years | 4.12 years | 4.61 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.63 years | 4.55 years | 4.71 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.11 years | 4.7 years | 5.53 years | 7 |
| 2010s | 5.44 years | 4.85 years | 5.74 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
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Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in India?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in India was 4.85 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.74 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.92 years in 1971.
- How does India rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- India ranks 165th out of 199 countries with data for 2019.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, 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.