Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Zambia
Zambia: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 50.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Zambia, 1990–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Zambia stood at 50.0%.
The figure is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Zambia peaked at 57.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 24.4%, in 1990.
That places Zambia 57th out of 85 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24.4% | — |
| 1999 | 38.6% | +58.4% |
| 2002 | 46.2% | +19.6% |
| 2010 | 57.6% | +24.7% |
| 2018 | 49.6% | -13.9% |
| 2019 | 55.8% | +12.6% |
| 2020 | 57.9% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 55.1% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 54.5% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 50.0% | -8.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.5% | 24.4% | 38.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 46.2% | 46.2% | 46.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 54.3% | 49.6% | 57.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 54.4% | 50.0% | 57.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More education data for Zambia
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Zambia?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Zambia was 50.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 57.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.4% in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- Zambia ranks 57th out of 85 countries with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. 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 Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release