Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 3.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zambia, 1972–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 3.5% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 62.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zambia peaked at 32.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2024.
That places Zambia 108th out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 22.9% | — |
| 1976 | 20.8% | -9.5% |
| 1977 | 21.0% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 22.2% | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 22.6% | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 22.6% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 22.4% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 22.3% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 20.6% | -7.6% |
| 1984 | 19.4% | -5.7% |
| 1986 | 17.8% | -8.6% |
| 1988 | 18.9% | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 24.9% | +32.0% |
| 1995 | 27.1% | +8.6% |
| 1998 | 30.2% | +11.6% |
| 1999 | 31.7% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 31.9% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 32.2% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 29.2% | -9.2% |
| 2004 | 16.3% | -44.2% |
| 2005 | 7.8% | -51.9% |
| 2006 | 9.7% | +23.7% |
| 2007 | 7.1% | -26.8% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | -10.1% |
| 2009 | 9.2% | +43.5% |
| 2010 | 11.7% | +27.3% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | -34.3% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | -19.5% |
| 2013 | 9.3% | +51.1% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | +58.7% |
| 2024 | 3.5% | -76.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 3.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.9%, 51% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 3.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 21% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.9% | 20.8% | 22.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 20.6% | 17.8% | 22.6% | 7 |
| 1990s | 28.5% | 24.9% | 31.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 16.7% | 6.4% | 32.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.9% | 6.2% | 14.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 1 |
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 children of primary school age, both sexes in Zambia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zambia was 3.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Zambia ranks 108th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.4%. 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 children of primary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release