Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 10.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1982–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe is 10.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 15.2% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 19.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1982.
Zimbabwe ranks 51st of 203 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.1% | — |
| 1998 | 13.5% | +9319.7% |
| 1999 | 8.9% | -33.8% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | -40.9% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -72.0% |
| 2002 | 4.3% | +190.2% |
| 2003 | 5.6% | +30.6% |
| 2012 | 8.5% | +51.4% |
| 2013 | 9.9% | +17.0% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 18.8% | +80.6% |
| 2016 | 17.7% | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 18.8% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 18.4% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 16.9% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 9.4% | -44.3% |
| 2022 | 8.2% | -13.3% |
| 2023 | 9.1% | +11.8% |
| 2024 | 10.5% | +15.2% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 10.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.9%, 1.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 10.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 62% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +9319.7% | 0.1% | 13.5% |
| 2002 | +190.2% | 1.5% | 4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 11.2% | 8.9% | 13.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 1.5% | 5.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 15.2% | 8.5% | 19.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 10.8% | 8.2% | 16.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
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 of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 10.5% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 19.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1982.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 51st 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 Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 of primary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release