Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school children of primary school age, male was 263,055 in 2017. ▲ Rising
Latest (2017)
263,055
World rank
25th
of 180 countries
All-time high
310,654
in 2001
All-time low
73,193
in 1972
Years of data
29
1972–2017
Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Zambia, 1972–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 263,055 for out-of-school children of primary school age, male in 2017.
The figure is up 248.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Zambia peaked at 310,654 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 73,193, in 1972.
That places Zambia 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 73,193 | — |
| 1976 | 79,312 | +8.4% |
| 1977 | 85,422 | +7.7% |
| 1978 | 97,725 | +14.4% |
| 1979 | 106,802 | +9.3% |
| 1980 | 112,043 | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 116,078 | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 119,831 | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 112,789 | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 107,833 | -4.4% |
| 1986 | 106,142 | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 123,640 | +16.5% |
| 1994 | 190,437 | +54.0% |
| 1995 | 214,835 | +12.8% |
| 1998 | 262,679 | +22.3% |
| 1999 | 282,379 | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 296,407 | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 310,654 | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 285,923 | -8.0% |
| 2004 | 167,682 | -41.4% |
| 2005 | 84,952 | -49.3% |
| 2006 | 115,886 | +36.4% |
| 2007 | 75,567 | -34.8% |
| 2009 | 118,258 | +56.5% |
| 2010 | 154,530 | +30.7% |
| 2011 | 104,322 | -32.5% |
| 2012 | 92,108 | -11.7% |
| 2013 | 133,805 | +45.3% |
| 2017 | 263,055 | +96.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 263,055 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 69,066, 3.8× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 263,055 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 142,582, 1.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 88,491 | 73,193 | 106,802 | 5 |
| 1980s | 114,051 | 106,142 | 123,640 | 7 |
| 1990s | 237,582 | 190,437 | 282,379 | 4 |
| 2000s | 181,916 | 75,567 | 310,654 | 8 |
| 2010s | 149,564 | 92,108 | 263,055 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 22 Côte d'Ivoire 313,204 compare
- 23 Syrian Arab Republic 302,495 compare
- 24 Egypt 289,060 compare
- 26 Haiti 242,980 compare
- 27 South Africa 229,187 compare
- 28 Malaysia 223,142 compare
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 out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Zambia?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, male in Zambia was 263,055 in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, male recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 310,654 in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, male recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 73,193 in 1972.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, male?
- Zambia ranks 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2017.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, male rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 248.1%. 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 Out-of-school children of primary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release