What is the difference in theoretical duration of lower secondary education between South Africa and Zimbabwe?

0 years, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?

51 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Theoretical duration of lower secondary education

South Africa

2 years

in 2020

Zimbabwe

2 years

in 2020

South Africa rank

188th

Zimbabwe rank

188th

Theoretical duration of lower secondary education over time

South Africa
Zimbabwe

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 2 years against 2 years in Zimbabwe, a difference of 0 years.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 51 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.

South Africa ranks 188th and Zimbabwe ranks 188th of 209 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and Zimbabwe in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Africa	Zimbabwe	Difference	Ahead
1970s	3 years	2 years	1 years	South Africa
1980s	3 years	2 years	1 years	South Africa
1990s	2.7 years	2 years	0.7 years	South Africa
2000s	2 years	2 years	0 years	—
2010s	2 years	2.2 years	0.2 years	Zimbabwe
2020s	2 years	2 years	0 years	—

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher theoretical duration of lower secondary education, South Africa or Zimbabwe?: South Africa, at 2 years against 2 years in Zimbabwe as of 2020.
What is the difference in theoretical duration of lower secondary education between South Africa and Zimbabwe?: 0 years, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?: 51 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2020.
How do South Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for theoretical duration of lower secondary education?: South Africa ranks 188th and Zimbabwe ranks 188th of 209 countries.
Where does this data come from?: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Theoretical duration of lower secondary education. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/theoretical-duration-of-lower-secondary-education-years/south-africa/zimbabwe/

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About this data

Indicator: Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years)
Unit: years
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 209 places, 10,366 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed: 21 August 2026

Number of grades (years) in lower secondary education.