Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth was 8.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
8.3%
World rank
8th
of 36 countries
All-time high
18.4%
in 2001
All-time low
8.3%
in 2023
Years of data
5
2001–2023
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth in Zambia, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 8.3% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth in Zambia peaked at 18.4% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 8.3%, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 8th of 36 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 18.4% | — |
| 2007 | 13.3% | -27.9% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | -34.1% |
| 2018 | 9.6% | +9.5% |
| 2023 | 8.3% | -12.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 8.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.1%, 2.7× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 8.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.3%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.8% | 13.3% | 18.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 8.7% | 9.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 5 Gambia 12.3% compare
- 6 Benin 10.3% compare
- 7 Nigeria 9.0% compare
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.8% compare
- 10 Bangladesh 6.1% compare
- 11 Sierra Leone 5.7% compare
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, fourth in Zambia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth in Zambia was 8.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.3% in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth?
- Zambia ranks 8th out of 36 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, fourth rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. 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, fourth quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release