Social indicators

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Indicators on education
Last update: December 2009
Country or area
Year
Total
Men
Women
Afghanistan 2004   b
8
11
5
  
Albania 2004   b
11
11
11
  
Algeria 2005   b
13
13
13
  
Anguilla 2006   b
11
11
11
  
Andorra 2006   a
11
11
11
  
Argentina 2006
16
15
17
  
Armenia 2007
12
11
12
  
Aruba 2008
13
13
14
  
Australia 2007
20
20
21
  
Austria 2007
15
15
15
  
Azerbaijan 2008   b
13
13
13
  
Bahrain 2006   b
14
14
15
  
Bangladesh 2007
8
8
8
  
Belarus 2008   b
14
14
15
  
Belgium 2007
16
16
16
  
Belize 2004   b
12
12
12
  
Benin 2001   b
8
10
6
  
Bermuda 2005   b
13
13
14
  
Bhutan 2001   b
8
9
7
  
Bolivia 2007   b
14
14
14
  
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2007   b
13
...
...
  
Botswana 2005   b
12
12
12
  
Brazil 2007
14
13
14
  
British Virgin Islands 2005   b
17
15
19
  
Brunei Darussalam 2008   b
14
14
14
  
Bulgaria 2007
14
14
14
  
Burkina Faso 2008
6
6
5
  
Burundi 2007   b
9
9
8
  
Cambodia 2007   b
10
10
9
  
Cameroon 2008   b
10
11
9
  
Canada 2004   b
16
16
16
  
Cape Verde 2008   b
12
12
12
  
Cayman Islands 2006   b
11
11
11
  
Chad 2005   b
6
8
4
  
Chile 2007
15
15
14
  
China 2007   b
11
11
11
  
China, Hong Kong SAR 2006
14
14
14
  
Colombia 2008   b
13
13
14
  
Comoros 2004   b
11
12
10
  
Congo 2003   b
9
10
8
  
Cook Islands 2007   b
9
9
10
  
Costa Rica 2005   b
12
12
12
  
Côte d'Ivoire 2000   b
6
8
5
  
Croatia 2007
14
13
14
  
Cuba 2008
18
16
19
  
Cyprus 2007   a
14
14
14
  
Czech Republic 2007
15
15
16
  
Denmark 2007
17
16
18
  
Djibouti 2007   b
5
5
4
  
Dominica 2005   b
13
13
14
  
Dominican Republic 2004   b
12
11
13
  
Democratic Republic of Congo 2007   b
8
9
6
  
Ecuador 2007
13
13
14
  
Egypt 2004   b
11
...
...
  
El Salvador 2008
12
12
12
  
Equatorial Guinea 2000   b
8
9
7
  
Eritrea 2004   b
6
7
5
  
Estonia 2007
16
15
17
  
Ethiopia 2008   b
8
9
7
  
Fiji 2005   b
13
13
13
  
Finland 2007
17
17
18
  
France 2007
16
16
16
  
Gabon 1999   b
13
13
12
  
Gambia 2004   b
9
9
8
  
Georgia 2008   b
13
13
13
  
Ghana 2007   b
10
10
9
  
Greece 2007
16
16
17
  
Grenada 2005   b
13
13
13
  
Guatemala 2007   b
11
11
10
  
Guinea 2006
8
9
7
  
Guinea-Bissau 2001   b
6
8
5
  
Guyana 2008   b
12
12
12
  
Honduras 2008   a
11
11
12
  
Hungary 2007
15
15
16
  
Iceland 2007
18
17
20
  
India 2007   b
10
11
10
  
Indonesia 2007
13
13
13
  
Iran, Islamic Republic of 2008   b
14
13
15
  
Iraq 2005   b
10
11
8
  
Ireland 2007
18
18
18
  
Israel 2007
16
15
16
  
Italy 2007
16
16
17
  
Jamaica 2003   b
12
11
12
  
Japan 2007   b
15
15
15
  
Jordan 2007   b
13
13
13
  
Kazakhstan 2009
15
15
15
  
Kenya 2007   b
10
11
10
  
Kiribati 2005   a
12
12
13
  
Kuwait 2006   b
13
12
13
  
Kyrgyzstan 2008
13
12
13
  
Lao People's Democratic Republic 2008   b
9
10
8
  
Latvia 2007
15
14
17
  
Lebanon 2008   b
14
13
14
  
Lesotho 2006
10
10
10
  
Liberia 2000   b
11
13
9
  
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2003   b
17
16
17
  
Liechtenstein 2007   a
15
16
13
  
Lithuania 2007
16
15
17
  
Luxembourg 2006
13
13
13
  
Madagascar 2008   b
10
10
10
  
Malawi 2007   b
9
9
9
  
Malaysia 2005
13
12
13
  
Maldives 2006   b
12
13
12
  
Mali 2008
8
9
7
  
Malta 2005
15
15
15
  
Mauritania 2006   b
8
8
8
  
Marshall Islands 2003   b
...
13
...
  
Mauritius 2008   b
13
13
13
  
Mexico 2007
13
13
14
  
Mongolia 2008
13
13
14
  
Montserrat 2007   a
15
14
17
  
Morocco 2007   b
10
11
10
  
Mozambique 2005   b
8
9
7
  
Myanmar 2007
9
...
...
  
Namibia 2008   b
12
12
12
  
Nauru 2006   a
8
8
9
  
Nepal 2003   b
9
10
8
  
Netherlands 2007
17
17
17
  
Netherlands Antilles 2002
14
14
15
  
New Zealand 2007
20
19
20
  
Nicaragua 2003   b
11
11
11
  
Niger 2008   b
4
5
4
  
Nigeria 2005   b
9
10
8
  
Niue 2005   a
12
12
12
  
Norway 2007
17
17
18
  
Occupied Palestinian Territory 2007
13
13
14
  
Oman 2007   b
11
11
11
  
Pakistan 2008   b
7
8
6
  
Panama 2007   b
13
13
14
  
Paraguay 2005   b
12
12
12
  
Peru 2006   b
14
14
14
  
Philippines 2006   b
12
11
12
  
Poland 2007
15
15
16
  
Portugal 2007
15
15
16
  
Qatar 2008
13
12
15
  
Republic of Korea 2007
17
18
16
  
Republic of Moldova 2008   b
12
11
12
  
Romania 2007
14
14
15
  
Russian Federation 2007   b
14
13
14
  
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2005   b
12
12
13
  
Saint Lucia 2008   b
13
12
13
  
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2005   b
13
13
14
  
Samoa 2001   b
12
12
12
  
Sao Tome and Principe 2008
10
10
10
  
Saudi Arabia 2005   b
13
13
13
  
Senegal 2008   b
8
8
7
  
Serbia 2008   a
13
13
14
  
Seychelles 2007   b
15
14
15
  
Sierra Leone 2001   b
7
9
6
  
Slovakia 2007
15
14
15
  
Slovenia 2007   b
17
16
18
  
Solomon Islands 2005
8
9
8
  
South Africa 2001   b
...
13
...
  
Spain 2007
16
16
17
  
Sudan 2000   b
4
...
...
  
Suriname 2002   b
12
11
13
  
Swaziland 2006   b
10
11
10
  
Sweden 2007
16
15
16
  
Switzerland 2007
15
16
15
  
Tajikistan 2008
11
12
10
  
TFYR of Macedonia 2007
12
12
12
  
Timor-Leste 2002   b
11
...
...
  
Togo 2007   b
10
...
...
  
Tokelau 2004   b
11
10
11
  
Tonga 2004   b
14
14
14
  
Trinidad and Tobago 2005   b
11
11
12
  
Tunisia 2006   b
14
14
15
  
Turkey 2007   b
12
13
11
  
Turks and Caicos Islands 2005   b
11
11
12
  
Uganda 2004   b
10
11
10
  
Ukraine 2008   b
15
14
15
  
United Arab Emirates 2003   b
11
11
12
  
United Kingdom 2007   b
16
15
16
  
United Republic of Tanzania 1999   b
5
5
5
  
United States 2007   b
16
15
16
  
Uruguay 2007
16
15
16
  
Uzbekistan 2007
12
12
11
  
Vanuatu 2004   b
10
11
10
  
Viet Nam 2002   b
10
11
10
  
Venezuela 2003   b
12
11
12
  
Yemen 2005   b
9
11
7
  
Zambia 2000   b
7
8
7
  
Zimbabwe 2003   b
9
9
9
  

 

 

Sources:

UNESCO Institute for Statistics, table 8: School life expectancy (approximation method). Data on school life expectancy (years) from primary to tertiary by country and sex, available from UIS website, http://www.uis.unesco.org (accessed December 2009).

Footnotes:

...
 Data not available.
a
 National estimation.
b
 UIS estimation.

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Technical notes:

The expected number of years of schooling, or school life expectancy (SLE), is defined as the total number of years of schooling which a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is equal to the current enrolment ratio at that age. It is a synthetic summary indicator of the overall pattern of enrolment ratios at one particular point in time, and has no predictive value except in so far as it is believed that enrolment patterns will remain unchanged into the future.

Caution should be exercised when utilizing this indicator in international comparisons. For example, a year or grade completed in one country is not necessarily the same in terms of educational content or quality as a year or grade completed in another country. Moreover, it should be noted that SLE does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades completed because of the possibility of repeating grades. Thus, school life expectancy represents the expected number of years of schooling that will be completed, including years spent repeating one or more grades.