Enrolment in primary education, male (number) in Zambia
Zambia: Enrolment in primary education, male (number) was 2.19 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Enrolment in primary education, male in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 2.19 million for enrolment in primary education, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 35.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, male in Zambia peaked at 2.19 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 385,676, in 1970.
That places Zambia 39th out of 216 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, male (number) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 385,676 | — |
| 1971 | 402,331 | +4.3% |
| 1972 | 428,693 | +6.6% |
| 1973 | 445,009 | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 470,191 | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 476,008 | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 492,899 | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 504,669 | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 516,358 | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 531,354 | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 554,503 | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 567,976 | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 593,574 | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 632,594 | +6.6% |
| 1984 | 672,053 | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 712,788 | +6.1% |
| 1986 | 724,977 | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 747,842 | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 787,538 | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 785,745 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 793,152 | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 810,876 | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 812,176 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 825,313 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 842,423 | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 899,105 | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 1.16 million | +28.5% |
| 2005 | 1.32 million | +14.3% |
| 2006 | 1.36 million | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 1.42 million | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 1.48 million | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 1.43 million | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 1.45 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 1.53 million | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 1.57 million | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 1.54 million | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 1.61 million | +4.7% |
| 2015 | 1.61 million | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.60 million | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 1.63 million | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 2.19 million | +34.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 2.19 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 875,944, 2.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 2.19 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.25 million, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Enrolment in primary education, male (number) in Zambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +34.0% | 1.63 million | 2.19 million |
| 2004 | +28.5% | 899,105 | 1.16 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 465,319 | 385,676 | 531,354 | 10 |
| 1980s | 650,788 | 554,503 | 747,842 | 8 |
| 1990s | 797,897 | 785,745 | 812,176 | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.19 million | 825,313 | 1.48 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.57 million | 1.45 million | 1.63 million | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.19 million | 2.19 million | 2.19 million | 1 |
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 enrolment in primary education, male in Zambia?
- Enrolment in primary education, male in Zambia was 2.19 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, male recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.19 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, male recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 385,676 in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for enrolment in primary education, male?
- Zambia ranks 39th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in primary education, male rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.7%. 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 Enrolment in primary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release