Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Enrolment in primary education, both sexes was 2.94 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.94 million
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
55th
of 218 countries
All-time high
2.95 million
in 2023
All-time low
696,130
in 1971
Years of data
46
1970–2024
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe stood at 2.94 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 2.95 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 696,130, in 1971.
That places Zimbabwe 55th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 735,782 | — |
| 1971 | 696,130 | -5.4% |
| 1972 | 755,937 | +8.6% |
| 1973 | 790,592 | +4.6% |
| 1974 | 835,028 | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 862,736 | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 882,375 | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 890,460 | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 826,857 | -7.1% |
| 1979 | 831,879 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 1.24 million | +48.5% |
| 1981 | 1.71 million | +38.8% |
| 1982 | 1.91 million | +11.2% |
| 1983 | 2.04 million | +7.3% |
| 1984 | 2.13 million | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 2.21 million | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 2.26 million | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 2.25 million | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 2.21 million | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 2.23 million | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 2.12 million | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 2.29 million | +8.2% |
| 1992 | 2.30 million | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 2.43 million | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 2.48 million | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 2.49 million | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 2.51 million | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 2.48 million | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 2.46 million | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 2.46 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.53 million | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 2.40 million | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 2.36 million | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 2.67 million | +12.9% |
| 2013 | 2.66 million | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 2.66 million | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.66 million | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.66 million | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 2.68 million | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 2.73 million | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 2.79 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 2.87 million | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 2.90 million | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 2.94 million | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 2.95 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 2.94 million | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 810,778 | 696,130 | 890,460 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.02 million | 1.24 million | 2.26 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.40 million | 2.12 million | 2.51 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.44 million | 2.36 million | 2.53 million | 4 |
| 2010s | 2.69 million | 2.66 million | 2.79 million | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.92 million | 2.87 million | 2.95 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2015)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 90,330 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 2.94 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 2.95 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 696,130 in 1971.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for enrolment in primary education, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 55th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release