Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest was 7.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
7.8%
World rank
5th
of 31 countries
All-time high
7.8%
in 2023
All-time low
1.4%
in 2013
Years of data
5
2001–2023
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Zambia, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 7.8% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in 2023. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 475.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Zambia peaked at 7.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2013.
Zambia ranks 5th of 31 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4.2% | — |
| 2007 | 7.8% | +87.1% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -82.6% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | +154.5% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | +125.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 7.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.7%, 2.1× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 7.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.3%, 1.8× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.0% | 4.2% | 7.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 2 Burkina Faso 12.4% compare
- 3 Mali 11.7% compare
- 4 Benin 9.8% compare
- 6 Lesotho 4.9% compare
- 7 Sierra Leone 4.3% compare
- 8 Mozambique 4.3% 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, rural, richest in Zambia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Zambia was 7.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2013.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest?
- Zambia ranks 5th out of 31 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 475.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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, rural, richest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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