Inequality in education in Zambia
Zambia: Inequality in education was 0.2044 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in education in Zambia, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in education in Zambia stood at 0.2044. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in Zambia peaked at 0.2374 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.2044, in 2018.
Zambia ranks 67th of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.2374 | — |
| 2011 | 0.2374 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.2374 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.2173 | -8.4% |
| 2014 | 0.2173 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2173 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.2173 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2173 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.2044 | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 0.2044 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.2044 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.2044 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.2044 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.2044 | +0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.2044 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3021, 68% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.2044 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3425, 60% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.2208 | 0.2044 | 0.2374 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2044 | 0.2044 | 0.2044 | 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 inequality in education in Zambia?
- Inequality in education in Zambia was 0.2044 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2374 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2044 in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for inequality in education?
- Zambia ranks 67th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.