School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female was 17.74 years in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
17.74 years
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
18th
of 175 countries
All-time high
18.12 years
in 2013
All-time low
12.09 years
in 1971
Years of data
42
1971–2018

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom, 1971–2018

051015201971199420181971: 12.1 years1972: 12.1 years1973: 12.1 years1974: 12.5 years1975: 12.6 years1976: 12.7 years1977: 12.7 years1978: 12.7 years1979: 12.7 years1980: 12.7 years1981: 12.8 years1982: 12.8 years1983: 13 years1984: 13.1 years1985: 13.1 years1986: 13.4 years1987: 13.5 years1988: 13.5 years1989: 13.5 years1990: 13.7 years1991: 14 years1992: 14.4 years1998: 15.7 years1999: 16.1 years2000: 16.4 years2001: 16.4 years2002: 16.5 years2003: 16.5 years2004: 17 years2005: 17.1 years2006: 16.6 years2007: 16.4 years2008: 16.4 years2009: 16.6 years2010: 16.7 years2011: 16.1 years2012: 16.1 years2013: 18.1 years2014: 17.9 years2015: 17.8 years2017: 18 years2018: 17.7 years

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2018, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom stood at 17.74 years.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom peaked at 18.12 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 12.09 years, in 1971.

United Kingdom ranks 18th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.

School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years) in United Kingdom, 1971 to 2018.
Year years Change
1971 12.09 years
1972 12.13 years +0.3%
1973 12.15 years +0.2%
1974 12.53 years +3.2%
1975 12.63 years +0.8%
1976 12.68 years +0.4%
1977 12.72 years +0.3%
1978 12.68 years -0.3%
1979 12.69 years +0.1%
1980 12.73 years +0.4%
1981 12.77 years +0.3%
1982 12.8 years +0.2%
1983 13.04 years +1.9%
1984 13.11 years +0.5%
1985 13.07 years -0.2%
1986 13.39 years +2.4%
1987 13.47 years +0.6%
1988 13.46 years -0.1%
1989 13.52 years +0.4%
1990 13.71 years +1.4%
1991 14.02 years +2.2%
1992 14.37 years +2.5%
1998 15.7 years +9.3%
1999 16.09 years +2.5%
2000 16.38 years +1.8%
2001 16.44 years +0.4%
2002 16.46 years +0.1%
2003 16.55 years +0.5%
2004 17.05 years +3.0%
2005 17.15 years +0.6%
2006 16.61 years -3.1%
2007 16.37 years -1.5%
2008 16.43 years +0.3%
2009 16.55 years +0.7%
2010 16.75 years +1.2%
2011 16.13 years -3.7%
2012 16.05 years -0.5%
2013 18.12 years +12.9%
2014 17.95 years -0.9%
2015 17.77 years -1.0%
2017 17.98 years +1.2%
2018 17.74 years -1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.48 years 12.09 years 12.72 years 9
1980s 13.14 years 12.73 years 13.52 years 10
1990s 14.78 years 13.71 years 16.09 years 5
2000s 16.6 years 16.37 years 17.15 years 10
2010s 17.31 years 16.05 years 18.12 years 8

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 15 Slovenia 18.36 years compare
  2. 16 Spain 18.21 years compare
  3. 17 Puerto Rico 17.99 years compare
  4. 19 Turkey 17.61 years compare
  5. 20 Hong Kong 17.49 years compare
  6. 21 Macao 17.12 years compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More gender data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom?
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom was 17.74 years in 2018, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 18.12 years in 2013.
What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 12.09 years in 1971.
How does United Kingdom rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female?
United Kingdom ranks 18th out of 175 countries with data for 2018.
Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/school-life-expectancy-primary-to-tertiary-female-years/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
220 places, 6,052 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.