Share of primary school teachers who are women in Zambia
Zambia: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 59.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 59.2% for share of primary school teachers who are women in 2024. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in Zambia peaked at 59.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 33.6%, in 1970.
Zambia ranks 164th of 212 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 33.6% | — |
| 1971 | 34.3% | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 34.7% | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 36.0% | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 36.3% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 37.2% | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 37.9% | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 37.5% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 37.6% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 38.2% | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 40.0% | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 39.8% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 41.2% | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 41.6% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 43.3% | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 44.2% | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 44.8% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 44.2% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 43.3% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 43.3% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 48.5% | +12.1% |
| 1999 | 48.9% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 50.4% | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 48.3% | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 48.9% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 47.7% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 48.0% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 47.6% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 48.0% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 50.1% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 51.0% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 51.2% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 53.1% | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 53.9% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 54.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 54.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 50.5% | -7.1% |
| 2024 | 59.2% | +17.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 59.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 60.1%, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 59.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 36.3% | 33.6% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 42.1% | 39.8% | 44.8% | 7 |
| 1990s | 45.6% | 43.3% | 48.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 48.6% | 47.6% | 50.4% | 8 |
| 2010s | 52.6% | 50.5% | 54.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 59.2% | 59.2% | 59.2% | 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 share of primary school teachers who are women in Zambia?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in Zambia was 59.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 59.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.6% in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- Zambia ranks 164th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary school teachers who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of female teachers among all teachers at the primary education level during a given school year.