What is lower secondary school starting age in Zambia?

Lower secondary school starting age in Zambia was 14 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

What is the highest lower secondary school starting age recorded in Zambia?

The highest recorded value was 14 years in 1970.

What is the lowest lower secondary school starting age recorded in Zambia?

The lowest recorded value was 14 years in 1970.

How does Zambia rank for lower secondary school starting age?

Zambia ranks 1st out of 209 countries with data for 2025.

Is lower secondary school starting age rising or falling in Zambia?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Where does this Zambia data come from?

The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Lower secondary school starting age (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Lower secondary school starting age in Zambia

Name: Lower secondary school starting age in Zambia
Creator: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Zambia: Lower secondary school starting age was 14 years in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)

14 years

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 209 countries

All-time high

14 years

in 1970

All-time low

14 years

in 1970

Years of data

1970–2025

Lower secondary school starting age in Zambia, 1970–2025

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2025, lower secondary school starting age in Zambia stood at 14 years. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, lower secondary school starting age in Zambia peaked at 14 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 14 years, in 1970.

That places Zambia 1st out of 209 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	14 years	14 years	14 years	10
1980s	14 years	14 years	14 years	10
1990s	14 years	14 years	14 years	10
2000s	14 years	14 years	14 years	10
2010s	14 years	14 years	14 years	10
2020s	14 years	14 years	14 years	6

Countries ranked near Zambia

1 Namibia 14 years compare
1 South Africa 14 years compare
1 Tanzania 14 years compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Zambia

Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Population ages 15-64 57.0% (2025)
Population ages 0-14 41.0% (2025)
Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
School enrollment, primary 115.6% (2024)
Primary education, teachers 116,859 (2024)
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.04 live births per woman (2024)
School enrollment, primary, female 118.3% (2024)
School enrollment, primary, male 112.8% (2024)

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is lower secondary school starting age in Zambia?: Lower secondary school starting age in Zambia was 14 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest lower secondary school starting age recorded in Zambia?: The highest recorded value was 14 years in 1970.
What is the lowest lower secondary school starting age recorded in Zambia?: The lowest recorded value was 14 years in 1970.
How does Zambia rank for lower secondary school starting age?: Zambia ranks 1st out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
Is lower secondary school starting age rising or falling in Zambia?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Zambia data come from?: The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Lower secondary school starting age (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Lower secondary school starting age (years)
Unit: years
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 209 places, 11,411 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Lower secondary school starting age is the age at which students would enter lower secondary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.