← Education level & access
Learning-adjusted years of school
years
direct measurestatistical agency datahigher is better
What it measures
Quality of schooling: years of school adjusted for how much children actually learn.Note
Published for 2010, 2017, 2018 and 2020 only; carried forward and flagged.From published value to score
- Published value. Native scale: years, 0 to about 14.
- Transform: value (no transform).
- Goalposts (fixed for all years; 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles of all observed country-years): worst = 2.86 scores 0, best = 12.0 scores 100.
- Direction: higher is better, no flip.
- Clip and scale: anything below the worst goalpost scores 0 and anything above the best scores 100; multiply by 100.
Goalposts come from 597 observed country-years since 2000. Coverage: 172 countries · 597 observed country-years · 1,472 carried forward (max 10 years) · last year with ≥100 countries observed: 2020. Open any country row below to see this calculation applied to its value.
Where the numbers come from
Downloaded from
World Bank API v2, series HD.HCI.LAYS (Human Capital Index) · series page · metadata · source updated 2020-09-21 · fetched 2026-10-04Built from several sources, each contributing as follows
- World Bank Human Capital Project produces the series — World Bank staff calculation: expected years of school multiplied by harmonised test score ÷ 625 (method in Filmer et al. 2018).
- UNESCO UIS enrolment data underlying data — Enrolment rates by age that give the expected years of school.
- International student assessments (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS, SACMEQ, PASEC, LLECE) underlying data — Test results harmonised onto one scale by the World Bank to give the learning adjustment.
Source statement as published by the data provider (verbatim)
World Bank staff calculation based on methodology in Filmer et al. (2018). http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/243261538075151093/Learning-Adjusted-Years-of-Schooling-LAYS-Defining-A-New-Macro-Measure-of-Education
Learning-adjusted years of school are calculated by multiplying the estimates of expected years of school by the ratio of most recent harmonized test scores to 625.
Every country row below has a “verify” link to this series filtered to that country, so each value can be checked against the source.
History
Dots mark years with a published observation; flat stretches are carried forward.
Countries ranked on this indicator
172 countries have a usable value for 2024 (172 carried forward from an earlier year); 45 have none within 10 years.
| # | Country | Value | Observed | Score | Verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 12.8 | carried from 2020 | 100 | source ↗ |
| 2 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 11.9 | carried from 2020 | 99 | source ↗ |
| 3 | Finland | 11.7 | carried from 2020 | 98 | source ↗ |
| 4 | Japan | 11.7 | carried from 2020 | 98 | source ↗ |
| 5 | Canada | 11.7 | carried from 2020 | 97 | source ↗ |
| 6 | Estonia | 11.7 | carried from 2020 | 97 | source ↗ |
| 7 | Korea, Rep. | 11.7 | carried from 2020 | 97 | source ↗ |
| 8 | Ireland | 11.6 | carried from 2020 | 96 | source ↗ |
| 9 | Sweden | 11.6 | carried from 2020 | 96 | source ↗ |
| 10 | Macao SAR, China | 11.6 | carried from 2020 | 96 | source ↗ |
| 11 | Netherlands | 11.5 | carried from 2020 | 95 | source ↗ |
| 12 | United Kingdom | 11.5 | carried from 2020 | 95 | source ↗ |
| 13 | New Zealand | 11.4 | carried from 2020 | 94 | source ↗ |
| 14 | Poland | 11.4 | carried from 2020 | 94 | source ↗ |
| 15 | Slovenia | 11.4 | carried from 2020 | 94 | source ↗ |
| 16 | Portugal | 11.3 | carried from 2020 | 93 | source ↗ |
| 17 | France | 11.3 | carried from 2020 | 92 | source ↗ |
| 18 | Norway | 11.2 | carried from 2020 | 92 | source ↗ |
| 19 | Australia | 11.2 | carried from 2020 | 92 | source ↗ |
| 20 | Belgium | 11.2 | carried from 2020 | 91 | source ↗ |
| 21 | Czechia | 11.1 | carried from 2020 | 91 | source ↗ |
| 22 | Denmark | 11.1 | carried from 2020 | 91 | source ↗ |
| 23 | Germany | 11.0 | carried from 2020 | 90 | source ↗ |
| 24 | Latvia | 11.0 | carried from 2020 | 89 | source ↗ |
| 25 | Lithuania | 11.0 | carried from 2020 | 89 | source ↗ |
| 26 | Switzerland | 10.9 | carried from 2020 | 89 | source ↗ |
| 27 | Cyprus | 10.9 | carried from 2020 | 89 | source ↗ |
| 28 | Austria | 10.9 | carried from 2020 | 88 | source ↗ |
| 29 | Russian Federation | 10.9 | carried from 2020 | 88 | source ↗ |
| 30 | Belarus | 10.8 | carried from 2020 | 87 | source ↗ |
| 31 | Iceland | 10.7 | carried from 2020 | 86 | source ↗ |
| 32 | Viet Nam | 10.7 | carried from 2020 | 86 | source ↗ |
| 33 | Israel | 10.6 | carried from 2020 | 85 | source ↗ |
| 34 | United States | 10.6 | carried from 2020 | 85 | source ↗ |
| 35 | Spain | 10.5 | carried from 2020 | 84 | source ↗ |
| 36 | Italy | 10.5 | carried from 2020 | 83 | source ↗ |
| 37 | Croatia | 10.4 | carried from 2020 | 83 | source ↗ |
| 38 | Hungary | 10.3 | carried from 2020 | 81 | source ↗ |
| 39 | Malta | 10.2 | carried from 2020 | 81 | source ↗ |
| 40 | Greece | 9.96 | carried from 2020 | 78 | source ↗ |
| 41 | Ukraine | 9.87 | carried from 2020 | 77 | source ↗ |
| 42 | Slovak Republic | 9.80 | carried from 2020 | 76 | source ↗ |
| 43 | Luxembourg | 9.80 | carried from 2020 | 76 | source ↗ |
| 44 | Serbia | 9.75 | carried from 2020 | 76 | source ↗ |
| 45 | Seychelles | 9.70 | carried from 2020 | 75 | source ↗ |
| 46 | United Arab Emirates | 9.65 | carried from 2020 | 75 | source ↗ |
| 47 | Chile | 9.41 | carried from 2020 | 72 | source ↗ |
| 48 | Mauritius | 9.41 | carried from 2020 | 72 | source ↗ |
| 49 | Bahrain | 9.29 | carried from 2020 | 71 | source ↗ |
| 50 | China | 9.27 | carried from 2020 | 70 | source ↗ |
| 51 | Turkiye | 9.23 | carried from 2020 | 70 | source ↗ |
| 52 | Brunei Darussalam | 9.22 | carried from 2020 | 70 | source ↗ |
| 53 | Mongolia | 9.15 | carried from 2020 | 69 | source ↗ |
| 54 | Uzbekistan | 9.13 | carried from 2020 | 69 | source ↗ |
| 55 | Kazakhstan | 9.13 | carried from 2020 | 69 | source ↗ |
| 56 | Trinidad and Tobago | 9.12 | carried from 2020 | 69 | source ↗ |
| 57 | Costa Rica | 8.99 | carried from 2020 | 67 | source ↗ |
| 58 | Albania | 8.95 | carried from 2020 | 67 | source ↗ |
| 59 | Montenegro | 8.91 | carried from 2020 | 66 | source ↗ |
| 60 | Malaysia | 8.89 | carried from 2020 | 66 | source ↗ |
| 61 | Mexico | 8.82 | carried from 2020 | 66 | source ↗ |
| 62 | Qatar | 8.78 | carried from 2020 | 65 | source ↗ |
| 63 | Ecuador | 8.70 | carried from 2020 | 64 | source ↗ |
| 64 | Palau | 8.69 | carried from 2020 | 64 | source ↗ |
| 65 | Bulgaria | 8.69 | carried from 2020 | 64 | source ↗ |
| 66 | Thailand | 8.68 | carried from 2020 | 64 | source ↗ |
| 67 | Kyrgyz Republic | 8.65 | carried from 2020 | 64 | source ↗ |
| 68 | Oman | 8.64 | carried from 2020 | 64 | source ↗ |
| 69 | Peru | 8.63 | carried from 2020 | 63 | source ↗ |
| 70 | Colombia | 8.62 | carried from 2020 | 63 | source ↗ |
| 71 | Uruguay | 8.55 | carried from 2020 | 63 | source ↗ |
| 72 | St. Lucia | 8.48 | carried from 2020 | 62 | source ↗ |
| 73 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 8.48 | carried from 2020 | 62 | source ↗ |
| 74 | Kenya | 8.47 | carried from 2020 | 62 | source ↗ |
| 75 | Sri Lanka | 8.46 | carried from 2020 | 62 | source ↗ |
| 76 | Antigua and Barbuda | 8.44 | carried from 2020 | 61 | source ↗ |
| 77 | Argentina | 8.41 | carried from 2020 | 61 | source ↗ |
| 78 | Romania | 8.37 | carried from 2020 | 61 | source ↗ |
| 79 | Moldova | 8.29 | carried from 2020 | 60 | source ↗ |
| 80 | Azerbaijan | 8.28 | carried from 2020 | 60 | source ↗ |
| 81 | Georgia | 8.27 | carried from 2020 | 60 | source ↗ |
| 82 | Grenada | 8.27 | carried from 2020 | 60 | source ↗ |
| 83 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 8.19 | carried from 2020 | 59 | source ↗ |
| 84 | West Bank and Gaza | 8.05 | carried from 2020 | 57 | source ↗ |
| 85 | Dominica | 8.01 | carried from 2020 | 57 | source ↗ |
| 86 | Armenia | 7.99 | carried from 2020 | 56 | source ↗ |
| 87 | Saudi Arabia | 7.89 | carried from 2020 | 55 | source ↗ |
| 88 | Brazil | 7.87 | carried from 2020 | 55 | source ↗ |
| 89 | Indonesia | 7.83 | carried from 2020 | 55 | source ↗ |
| 90 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7.80 | carried from 2020 | 54 | source ↗ |
| 91 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 7.71 | carried from 2020 | 53 | source ↗ |
| 92 | Jordan | 7.67 | carried from 2020 | 53 | source ↗ |
| 93 | El Salvador | 7.64 | carried from 2020 | 53 | source ↗ |
| 94 | Philippines | 7.49 | carried from 2020 | 51 | source ↗ |
| 95 | Kuwait | 7.38 | carried from 2020 | 50 | source ↗ |
| 96 | Kiribati | 7.38 | carried from 2020 | 50 | source ↗ |
| 97 | North Macedonia | 7.30 | carried from 2020 | 49 | source ↗ |
| 98 | Samoa | 7.25 | carried from 2020 | 48 | source ↗ |
| 99 | Nepal | 7.23 | carried from 2020 | 48 | source ↗ |
| 100 | Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 7.19 | carried from 2020 | 48 | source ↗ |
| 101 | Tonga | 7.14 | carried from 2020 | 47 | source ↗ |
| 102 | India | 7.10 | carried from 2020 | 47 | source ↗ |
| 103 | Algeria | 7.09 | carried from 2020 | 47 | source ↗ |
| 104 | Jamaica | 7.06 | carried from 2020 | 46 | source ↗ |
| 105 | Zimbabwe | 7.01 | carried from 2020 | 46 | source ↗ |
| 106 | Paraguay | 6.98 | carried from 2020 | 45 | source ↗ |
| 107 | Fiji | 6.95 | carried from 2020 | 45 | source ↗ |
| 108 | Cambodia | 6.84 | carried from 2020 | 44 | source ↗ |
| 109 | Myanmar | 6.79 | carried from 2020 | 43 | source ↗ |
| 110 | Tajikistan | 6.79 | carried from 2020 | 43 | source ↗ |
| 111 | Guyana | 6.76 | carried from 2020 | 43 | source ↗ |
| 112 | Nicaragua | 6.75 | carried from 2020 | 43 | source ↗ |
| 113 | Dominican Republic | 6.56 | carried from 2020 | 41 | source ↗ |
| 114 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 6.53 | carried from 2020 | 40 | source ↗ |
| 115 | Tunisia | 6.49 | carried from 2020 | 40 | source ↗ |
| 116 | Panama | 6.48 | carried from 2020 | 40 | source ↗ |
| 117 | Lebanon | 6.34 | carried from 2020 | 38 | source ↗ |
| 118 | Bhutan | 6.33 | carried from 2020 | 38 | source ↗ |
| 119 | Morocco | 6.32 | carried from 2020 | 38 | source ↗ |
| 120 | Lesotho | 6.31 | carried from 2020 | 38 | source ↗ |
| 121 | Guatemala | 6.30 | carried from 2020 | 38 | source ↗ |
| 122 | Timor-Leste | 6.29 | carried from 2020 | 38 | source ↗ |
| 123 | Lao PDR | 6.25 | carried from 2020 | 37 | source ↗ |
| 124 | Haiti | 6.15 | carried from 2020 | 36 | source ↗ |
| 125 | Honduras | 6.13 | carried from 2020 | 36 | source ↗ |
| 126 | Namibia | 6.11 | carried from 2020 | 36 | source ↗ |
| 127 | Gabon | 6.02 | carried from 2020 | 35 | source ↗ |
| 128 | Papua New Guinea | 6.00 | carried from 2020 | 35 | source ↗ |
| 129 | Tuvalu | 6.00 | carried from 2020 | 35 | source ↗ |
| 130 | Bangladesh | 5.99 | carried from 2020 | 34 | source ↗ |
| 131 | Togo | 5.97 | carried from 2020 | 34 | source ↗ |
| 132 | Ghana | 5.96 | carried from 2020 | 34 | source ↗ |
| 133 | Benin | 5.67 | carried from 2020 | 31 | source ↗ |
| 134 | Marshall Islands | 5.66 | carried from 2020 | 31 | source ↗ |
| 135 | Vanuatu | 5.62 | carried from 2020 | 30 | source ↗ |
| 136 | South Africa | 5.60 | carried from 2020 | 30 | source ↗ |
| 137 | Malawi | 5.51 | carried from 2020 | 29 | source ↗ |
| 138 | Gambia, The | 5.38 | carried from 2020 | 28 | source ↗ |
| 139 | Cameroon | 5.29 | carried from 2020 | 27 | source ↗ |
| 140 | Congo, Rep. | 5.29 | carried from 2020 | 27 | source ↗ |
| 141 | Burundi | 5.16 | carried from 2020 | 25 | source ↗ |
| 142 | Comoros | 5.13 | carried from 2020 | 25 | source ↗ |
| 143 | Botswana | 5.08 | carried from 2020 | 24 | source ↗ |
| 144 | Pakistan | 5.08 | carried from 2020 | 24 | source ↗ |
| 145 | Afghanistan | 5.05 | carried from 2020 | 24 | source ↗ |
| 146 | Nigeria | 5.04 | carried from 2020 | 24 | source ↗ |
| 147 | Zambia | 5.04 | carried from 2020 | 24 | source ↗ |
| 148 | Sierra Leone | 4.85 | carried from 2020 | 22 | source ↗ |
| 149 | Senegal | 4.84 | carried from 2020 | 22 | source ↗ |
| 150 | Cote d'Ivoire | 4.81 | carried from 2020 | 22 | source ↗ |
| 151 | Madagascar | 4.71 | carried from 2020 | 20 | source ↗ |
| 152 | Solomon Islands | 4.68 | carried from 2020 | 20 | source ↗ |
| 153 | Guinea | 4.57 | carried from 2020 | 19 | source ↗ |
| 154 | Burkina Faso | 4.53 | carried from 2020 | 18 | source ↗ |
| 155 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 4.53 | carried from 2020 | 18 | source ↗ |
| 156 | Eswatini | 4.53 | carried from 2020 | 18 | source ↗ |
| 157 | Tanzania | 4.48 | carried from 2020 | 18 | source ↗ |
| 158 | Mozambique | 4.47 | carried from 2020 | 18 | source ↗ |
| 159 | Ethiopia | 4.35 | carried from 2020 | 16 | source ↗ |
| 160 | Uganda | 4.34 | carried from 2020 | 16 | source ↗ |
| 161 | Sudan | 4.30 | carried from 2020 | 16 | source ↗ |
| 162 | Angola | 4.24 | carried from 2020 | 15 | source ↗ |
| 163 | Mauritania | 4.23 | carried from 2020 | 15 | source ↗ |
| 164 | Yemen, Rep. | 4.18 | carried from 2020 | 15 | source ↗ |
| 165 | Iraq | 4.03 | carried from 2020 | 13 | source ↗ |
| 166 | Rwanda | 3.93 | carried from 2020 | 12 | source ↗ |
| 167 | Chad | 2.83 | carried from 2020 | 0 | source ↗ |
| 168 | Central African Republic | 2.70 | carried from 2020 | 0 | source ↗ |
| 169 | Niger | 2.68 | carried from 2020 | 0 | source ↗ |
| 170 | Mali | 2.58 | carried from 2020 | 0 | source ↗ |
| 171 | South Sudan | 2.51 | carried from 2020 | 0 | source ↗ |
| 172 | Liberia | 2.21 | carried from 2020 | 0 | source ↗ |
No official value for 2024: 45 countries
Aruba, Andorra, American Samoa, Bahamas, The, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Barbados, Channel Islands, Cabo Verde, Cuba, Curacao, Cayman Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Greenland, Guam, Isle of Man, Libya, Liechtenstein, St. Martin (French part), Monaco, Maldives, Northern Mariana Islands, New Caledonia, Naoero, Puerto Rico (US), Korea, Dem. People's Rep., French Polynesia, San Marino, Somalia, Fed. Rep., Sao Tome and Principe, Suriname, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Syrian Arab Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, RB, British Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Kosovo