Social indicators

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Indicators on education
      
Last update: July 2008
Country or area
Year
Total
Men
Women
Afghanistan
2004
8
b
11
b
4
 b
Albania
2004
11
 b
11
 b
11
 b
Algeria
2005
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Andorra
2006
11
 a
11
 a
11
 a
Anguilla
2006
11
 b
11
 b
11
 b
Argentina
2005
15
  
14
  
16
  
Armenia
2006
11
  
11
  
12
  
Aruba
2006
14
  
13
  
14
  
Australia
2006
20
  
20
  
21
  
Austria
2006
15
  
15
  
16
  
Azerbaijan
2006
11
 b
11
 b
11
 b
Bahrain
2006
15
  
14
  
16
  
Bangladesh
2004
8
  
8
  
8
  
Barbados
2001
13
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Belarus
2006
15
  
14
  
15
  
Belgium
2006
16
  
16
  
16
  
Belize
2004
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Benin
2001
7
 b
9
 b
6
 b
Bermuda
2005
13
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Bhutan
2006
10
 b
11
 b
10
 b
Botswana
2005
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Brazil
2005
14
  
14
  
15
  
British Virgin Islands
2005
17
 b
15
 b
19
 b
Brunei Darussalam
2006
14
 b
14
 b
14
 b
Bulgaria
2006
14
  
13
  
14
  
Burkina Faso
2006
5
 b
5
 b
4
 b
Burundi
2006
7
 b
8
 b
7
 b
Cambodia
2006
10
 b
10
 b
9
 b
Cameroon
2006
9
 b
10
 b
8
 b
Canada
2004
17
 b
17
 b
17
 b
Cape Verde
2006
12
 b
11
 b
12
 b
Cayman Islands
2001
13
 b
12
 b
13
 b
Chad
2005
6
 b
7
 b
4
 b
Chile
2006
14
 b
14
 b
14
 b
China
2006
11
 b
11
 b
11
 b
Colombia
2006
12
 b
12
 b
13
 b
Comoros
2004
8
 b
9
 b
7
 b
Congo
2003
9
 b
10
 b
8
 b
Cook Islands
2005
10
 b
10
 b
10
 b
Costa Rica
2005
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Croatia
2006
14
  
13
  
14
  
Cuba
2006
16
 b
15
 b
17
 b
Cyprus
2006
14
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Czech Republic
2006
15
  
15
  
15
  
Denmark
2006
17
  
16
  
17
  
Djibouti
2006
4
 b
5
 b
4
 b
Dominica
2005
13
 a
13
 a
14
 b
Dominican Republic
2004
12
 b
12
 b
13
 b
El Salvador
2006
12
  
12
  
12
  
Equatorial Guinea
2000
10
 b
10
 b
9
 b
Eritrea
2004
5
 b
6
 b
4
 b
Estonia
2006
16
  
15
  
17
  
Ethiopia
2007
8
 b
8
 b
7
 b
Fiji
2005
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Finland
2006
17
  
17
  
18
  
France
2006
16
  
16
  
17
  
Gambia
2004
7
 b
7
 b
7
 b
Georgia
2006
12
  
12
 b
13
 b
Germany
2006
16
 b
16
 b
16
 b
Ghana
2007
9
 b
10
 b
9
 b
Greece
2006
17
 b
17
 b
17
 b
Grenada
2005
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Guatemala
2006
10
 b
11
 b
10
 b
Guinea-Bissau
2001
5
 b
7
 b
4
 b
Guinea
2006
8
  
10
  
7
  
Guyana
2005
13
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Honduras
2004
11
 b
11
 b
12
 b
Hong Kong (China), SAR
2006
14
  
14
  
13
  
Hungary
2006
15
  
15
  
16
  
Iceland
2006
18
  
17
  
19
  
India
2005
10
 b
11
 b
9
 b
Indonesia
2005
11
 b
12
 b
11
 b
Iran, Islamic Republic of
2005
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Iraq
2005
10
 b
11
 b
8
 b
Ireland
2006
18
 b
17
 b
18
 b
Israel
2006
15
  
15
  
16
  
Italy
2006
16
  
16
  
17
  
Jamaica
2003
12
 b
11
 b
12
 b
Japan
2006
15
 b
15
 b
15
 b
Jordan
2006
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Kazakhstan
2007
15
  
15
  
16
  
Kenya
2004
10
 b
10
 b
9
 b
Kiribati
2005
12
 a
12
 a
13
 a
Kuwait
2006
13
 b
12
 b
13
 b
Kyrgyzstan
2006
12
  
12
  
13
  
Lao People's Democratic Republic
2006
9
 b
10
 b
8
 b
Latvia
2006
16
  
14
  
17
  
Lebanon
2006
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Lesotho
2006
10
  
10
  
10
  
Liberia
2000
10
 b
11
 b
8
 b
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
2003
17
 b
16
 b
17
 b
Liechtenstein
2004
15
 a
16
 a
13
 a
Lithuania
2006
16
  
15
  
17
  
Luxembourg
2006
14
  
13
  
14
  
Macao, China
2006
15
  
16
  
14
  
Madagascar
2006
9
  
10
  
9
  
Malawi
2004
9
 b
10
 b
9
 b
Malaysia
2005
13
  
12
  
13
  
Maldives
2006
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Mali
2005
7
 b
8
 b
5
 b
Malta
2005
15
  
15
  
15
  
Marshall Islands
2003
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Mauritania
2006
8
 b
8
 b
8
 b
Mauritius
2005
14
 b
14
 b
13
 b
Mexico
2006
13
  
14
  
13
  
Mongolia
2006
13
 b
12
 b
14
 b
Montserrat
2006
16
 a
15
 a
16
 a
Morocco
2005
10
 b
11
 b
9
 b
Mozambique
2005
8
 b
9
 b
7
 b
Myanmar
2001
8
 b
8
 b
8
 b
Namibia
2006
11
 b
11
 b
11
 b
Nauru
2006
8
 a
8
 a
9
 a
Nepal
2003
9
 b
10
 b
8
 b
Netherlands
2006
16
  
17
  
16
  
Netherlands Antilles
2002
14
  
14
  
15
  
New Zealand
2006
19
 b
19
 b
20
 b
Nicaragua
2003
11
 b
11
 b
11
 b
Niger
2006
4
 b
5
 b
3
 b
Nigeria
2004
8
 b
9
 b
7
 b
Niue
2005
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Norway
2006
17
  
17
  
18
  
Oman
2006
12
 b
12
 b
11
 b
Pakistan
2006
7
 b
7
 b
6
 b
Palau
2000
15
 b
14
 b
15
 b
Palestinian Autonomous Territories
2006
14
  
13
  
14
  
Panama
2006
13
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Paraguay
2005
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Peru
2006
14
 b
14
 b
14
 b
Philippines
2006
12
 b
11
 b
12
 b
Poland
2006
15
  
15
  
16
  
Portugal
2006
15
  
15
  
16
  
Qatar
2006
13
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Republic of Korea
2007
17
  
18
  
15
  
Republic of Moldova
2006
12
 b
12
 b
13
 b
Romania
2006
14
  
14
  
14
  
Russian Federation
2006
14
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Rwanda
2005
9
 b
8
 b
9
 b
Saint Kitts and Nevis
2005
12
 b
12
 b
13
 b
Saint Lucia
2006
14
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
2005
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Samoa
2001
12
 b
12
 b
12
 b
Sao Tome and Principe
2006
10
 b
10
 b
10
 b
Seychelles
2007
15
 a
14
 a
15
 a
Sierra Leone
2001
7
 b
8
 b
6
 b
Slovakia
2006
15
  
14
  
15
  
Slovenia
2006
17
 b
16
 b
17
 b
Solomon Islands
2005
8
  
9
  
8
  
South Africa
2004
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Spain
2006
16
  
16
  
17
  
Suriname
2002
12
 b
11
 b
13
 b
Swaziland
2005
10
 b
10
 b
10
 b
Sweden
2006
16
  
15
  
17
  
Switzerland
2006
15
  
15
  
15
  
Tajikistan
2006
11
  
12
  
10
  
Thailand
2006
14
 b
13
 b
14
 b
The Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia
2005
12
  
12
  
12
  
Togo
2000
9
 b
11
 b
7
 b
Tokelau
2004
11
 b
10
 b
11
 b
Tonga
2004
13
 b
13
 b
13
 b
Trinidad and Tobago
2005
11
 b
11
 b
11
 b
Tunisia
2006
14
 b
13
 b
14
 b
Turkey
2006
11
 b
12
 b
11
 b
Turks and Caicos Islands
2005
11
 b
11
 b
12
 b
Tuvalu
2001
11
 a
11
 a
11
 a
Uganda
2004
10
 b
11
 b
10
 b
Ukraine
2006
14
  
14
 b
15
 b
United Arab Emirates
2003
11
 b
11
 b
12
 b
United Kingdom
2006
16
  
16
  
17
  
United States
2006
16
 b
15
 b
16
 b
Uruguay
2006
15
  
14
  
16
  
Uzbekistan
2007
11
 b
12
 b
11
 b
Vanuatu
2004
10
 b
11
 b
10
 b
Venezuela
2003
12
 b
11
 b
12
 b
Viet Nam
2000
10
  
11
  
10
  
Yemen
2005
9
 b
11
 b
7
 b
Zambia
2000
7
 b
7
 b
7
 b
Zimbabwe
2003
9
 b
9
 b
9
 b

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 June 2008).

Footnotes:

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.