Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 10.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Zimbabwe, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 10.1% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2024.
The figure is up 10.7% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Zimbabwe peaked at 14.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2001.
That places Zimbabwe 53rd out of 169 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 12.9% | — |
| 2000 | 9.7% | -24.9% |
| 2001 | 4.5% | -53.6% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | +39.2% |
| 2003 | 8.1% | +28.2% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +14.4% |
| 2014 | 9.9% | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | +40.8% |
| 2016 | 14.3% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 14.1% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 14.1% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 13.2% | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 9.0% | -29.6% |
| 2022 | 9.1% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 9.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 10.1% | +10.7% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 10.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.9%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 10.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.1%, 53% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.9% | 12.9% | 12.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 7.1% | 4.5% | 9.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 12.1% | 8.2% | 14.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 10.0% | 9.0% | 12.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 50 Tajikistan 10.9% compare
- 51 Libya 10.2%
- 52 Malawi 10.2% compare
- 54 Macau, China 9.9% compare
- 55 Jamaica 9.9% compare
- 56 Sao Tome and Principe 9.9% compare
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 rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Zimbabwe?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Zimbabwe was 10.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 14.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2001.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Zimbabwe ranks 53rd out of 169 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. 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 rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release