Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) (%) in Zambia
Zambia: Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) (%) was 72.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
72.6%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
140th
of 165 countries
All-time high
72.6%
in 2022
All-time low
48.1%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in Zambia, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in Zambia stood at 72.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in Zambia peaked at 72.6% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 48.1%, in 1981.
That places Zambia 140th 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, female (modelled data) (%) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 48.1% | — |
| 1982 | 48.5% | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 49.0% | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 49.4% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 49.8% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 50.0% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 50.0% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 50.0% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 49.9% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 49.8% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 50.0% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 50.5% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 50.9% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 51.4% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 51.7% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 51.9% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 51.8% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 51.6% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 51.6% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 51.8% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 52.4% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 53.4% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 54.9% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 56.7% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 58.9% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 61.0% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 63.0% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 64.8% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 66.5% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 67.9% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 69.1% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 70.0% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 70.6% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 70.9% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 71.0% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 71.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 71.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 71.5% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 71.9% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 72.3% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 72.5% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 72.6% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 72.6% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 72.5% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 72.6% | +0.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 72.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.2%, 81% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 72.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 76.3%, 95% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 49.4% | 48.1% | 50.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 51.1% | 49.8% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.3% | 51.8% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.5% | 67.9% | 71.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.5% | 72.3% | 72.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
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, female (modelled data) in Zambia?
- Completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) in Zambia was 72.6% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 72.6% in 2022.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.1% in 1981.
- How does Zambia rank for completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data)?
- Zambia ranks 140th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, primary education, female (modelled data) rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. 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, female (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