Completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) (%) in Zambia
Zambia: Completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) (%) was 62.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
62.1%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
146th
of 165 countries
All-time high
65.7%
in 2011
All-time low
53.1%
in 2000
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) in Zambia, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) in Zambia stood at 62.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) in Zambia peaked at 65.7% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 53.1%, in 2000.
That places Zambia 146th 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, male (modelled data) (%) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 61.8% | — |
| 1982 | 61.5% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 61.0% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 60.5% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 60.1% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 59.6% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 59.0% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 58.2% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 57.4% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 56.5% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 55.9% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 55.4% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 55.0% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 55.0% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 54.8% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 54.6% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 54.1% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 53.5% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 53.2% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 53.1% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 53.5% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 54.4% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 55.8% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 57.6% | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 59.4% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 61.2% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 62.6% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 63.8% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 64.8% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 65.4% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 65.7% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 65.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 65.3% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 64.9% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 64.3% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 63.5% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 63.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 62.6% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 62.4% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 62.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 62.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 62.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 62.4% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 62.2% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 62.1% | -0.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 62.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 81.9%, 76% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 62.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 67.1%, 93% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 59.9% | 57.4% | 61.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 54.8% | 53.2% | 56.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.6% | 53.1% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.3% | 62.4% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.3% | 62.1% | 62.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 143 Guinea 64.2% compare
- 144 Angola 63.9% compare
- 145 Afghanistan 62.4% compare
- 147 Equatorial Guinea 61.4% compare
- 148 Papua New Guinea 60.6% compare
- 149 Senegal 59.0% 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, male (modelled data) in Zambia?
- Completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) in Zambia was 62.1% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 65.7% in 2011.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.1% in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data)?
- Zambia ranks 146th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, primary education, male (modelled data) rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. 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, male (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