Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 1.16 modelled data in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.16 modelled data
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
38th
of 205 countries
All-time high
1.35 modelled data
in 2006
All-time low
1.11 modelled data
in 2021
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in modelled data.
Analysis
In 2025, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia stood at 1.16 modelled data.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia peaked at 1.35 modelled data in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.11 modelled data, in 2021.
That places Zambia 38th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia, year by year
| Year | modelled data | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.32 modelled data | — |
| 2001 | 1.33 modelled data | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 1.32 modelled data | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.32 modelled data | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.33 modelled data | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.35 modelled data | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 1.35 modelled data | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 1.33 modelled data | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 1.31 modelled data | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 1.29 modelled data | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 1.28 modelled data | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.26 modelled data | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 1.26 modelled data | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.23 modelled data | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 1.2 modelled data | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.2 modelled data | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.22 modelled data | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.24 modelled data | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.22 modelled data | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 1.18 modelled data | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 1.13 modelled data | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 1.11 modelled data | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 1.12 modelled data | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 1.14 modelled data | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 1.15 modelled data | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 1.16 modelled data | +0.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 1.16 modelled data is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.928 modelled data, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 1.16 modelled data is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9392 modelled data, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.33 modelled data | 1.29 modelled data | 1.35 modelled data | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.23 modelled data | 1.18 modelled data | 1.28 modelled data | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.13 modelled data | 1.11 modelled data | 1.16 modelled data | 6 |
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 out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia was 1.16 modelled data in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.35 modelled data in 2006.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.11 modelled data in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Zambia ranks 38th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) (modelled data). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release