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 18.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia is 18.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.6% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Zambia peaked at 39.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 2011.
That places Zambia 55th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 39.9% | — |
| 2001 | 39.8% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 39.7% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 37.5% | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 32.9% | -12.3% |
| 2005 | 28.0% | -14.9% |
| 2006 | 24.4% | -12.9% |
| 2007 | 21.9% | -10.2% |
| 2008 | 19.6% | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 17.4% | -11.2% |
| 2010 | 15.1% | -13.2% |
| 2011 | 13.7% | -9.3% |
| 2012 | 14.1% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 15.9% | +12.8% |
| 2014 | 18.4% | +15.7% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 21.8% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 22.5% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 23.7% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 24.6% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 24.4% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 23.2% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 21.4% | -7.8% |
| 2024 | 19.7% | -7.9% |
| 2025 | 18.4% | -6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.1% | 17.4% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 13.7% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.9% | 18.4% | 24.6% | 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 18.4% 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 39.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 2011.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Zambia ranks 55th out of 206 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 10.2%. 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, female (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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