Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes was 332,314 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1982–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe stood at 332,314. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of up 14.8% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 332,314 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2,202, in 1982.
That places Zimbabwe 27th out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 2,202 | — |
| 1998 | 312,233 | +14079.5% |
| 1999 | 202,213 | -35.2% |
| 2000 | 116,145 | -42.6% |
| 2001 | 32,075 | -72.4% |
| 2002 | 92,305 | +187.8% |
| 2003 | 120,639 | +30.7% |
| 2012 | 238,497 | +97.7% |
| 2013 | 266,943 | +11.9% |
| 2014 | 280,990 | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 316,088 | +12.5% |
| 2016 | 282,603 | -10.6% |
| 2017 | 285,035 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 278,600 | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 265,100 | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 249,958 | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 294,539 | +17.8% |
| 2022 | 258,220 | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 289,420 | +12.1% |
| 2024 | 332,314 | +14.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 332,314 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 76,741, 4.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 332,314 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 224,299, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +14079.5% | 2,202 | 312,233 |
| 2002 | +187.8% | 32,075 | 92,305 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2,202 | 2,202 | 2,202 | 1 |
| 1990s | 257,223 | 202,213 | 312,233 | 2 |
| 2000s | 90,291 | 32,075 | 120,639 | 4 |
| 2010s | 276,732 | 238,497 | 316,088 | 8 |
| 2020s | 284,890 | 249,958 | 332,314 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2013)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,514 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 328,055 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 322,698 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 957,461 (2013)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.94 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.4866 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1767 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 332,314 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 332,314 in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,202 in 1982.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 27th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. 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 Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release