Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Zambia
Zambia: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male was 77.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Zambia, 1990–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Zambia stood at 77.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Zambia peaked at 82.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.9%, in 1990.
That places Zambia 47th out of 87 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 43.9% | — |
| 1999 | 56.8% | +29.6% |
| 2002 | 65.3% | +14.9% |
| 2010 | 72.9% | +11.6% |
| 2018 | 75.4% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 81.0% | +7.5% |
| 2020 | 77.0% | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 77.8% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 78.3% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 82.0% | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 77.0% | -6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.3% | 43.9% | 56.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.3% | 65.3% | 65.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 72.9% | 81.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 78.4% | 77.0% | 82.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 44 Ecuador 81.8% compare
- 45 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 80.1% compare
- 46 Thailand 77.4% compare
- 48 El Salvador 76.3% compare
- 49 Cape Verde 72.3% compare
- 50 Tunisia 71.0% compare
More education data for Zambia
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Zambia?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in Zambia was 77.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.9% in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male?
- Zambia ranks 47th out of 87 countries with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release