Similarly, life expectancy at birth in SSA countries lagged 16 years behind the developing-country average, 14 years behind countries in South Asia, and 21 years behind countries in East Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In combined gross enrolment in primary, secondary and higher education, SSA countries stood 19% below the average for developing countries, 11% below South Asian countries, 29% below East Asia and the Pacific, and 32% below Latin America and the Caribbean.