Duration of compulsory education (years) in Zambia
Zambia: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 7 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
7 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
173rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
7 years
in 1998
All-time low
7 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Zambia, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in Zambia stood at 7 years. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Zambia peaked at 7 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 1998.
Zambia ranks 173rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 years | — |
| 1999 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 years | +0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 7 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 78% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 7 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8 years, 88% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 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 duration of compulsory education in Zambia?
- Duration of compulsory education in Zambia was 7 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Zambia ranks 173rd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release