Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in Zambia
Zambia: Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) was 67.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
67.4%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
144th
of 165 countries
All-time high
68.0%
in 2013
All-time low
52.4%
in 1999
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Zambia, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Zambia is 67.4%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Zambia peaked at 68.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 52.4%, in 1999.
That places Zambia 144th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 54.9% | — |
| 1982 | 54.9% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 54.9% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 55.0% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 54.9% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 54.8% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 54.5% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 54.1% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 53.6% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 53.2% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 52.9% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 52.9% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 53.0% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 53.2% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 53.3% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 53.2% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 52.9% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 52.6% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 52.4% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 52.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 52.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 53.9% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 55.4% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 57.1% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 59.1% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 61.1% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 62.8% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 64.3% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 65.6% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 66.7% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 67.4% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 67.8% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 68.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 67.9% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 67.7% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 67.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 67.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 67.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 67.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 67.4% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 67.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 67.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 67.5% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 67.4% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 67.4% | -0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 67.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 78% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 67.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 93% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 54.6% | 53.6% | 55.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 52.9% | 52.4% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.5% | 52.4% | 65.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.4% | 66.7% | 68.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.5% | 67.4% | 67.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 141 Benin 70.1% compare
- 142 Sierra Leone 68.8% compare
- 143 Democratic Republic of Congo 68.4% compare
- 145 Papua New Guinea 66.0% compare
- 146 Senegal 65.7% compare
- 147 Angola 65.2% compare
More education data for Zambia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 86.21 (2017)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96.49 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 169,961 (2013)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2106 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Zambia?
- Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Zambia was 67.4% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 68.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.4% in 1999.
- How does Zambia rank for completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- Zambia ranks 144th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release