Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second was 20.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second in Zambia, 2001–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second in Zambia is 20.4%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second in Zambia peaked at 48.9% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 20.4%, in 2023.
That places Zambia 8th out of 33 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 48.9% | — |
| 2007 | 26.5% | -45.7% |
| 2013 | 29.1% | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 31.0% | +6.5% |
| 2023 | 20.4% | -34.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 20.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.1%, 1.7× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 20.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.8%, 98% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.7% | 26.5% | 48.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 30.1% | 29.1% | 31.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 20.4% | 20.4% | 20.4% | 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, urban, second in Zambia?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second in Zambia was 20.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.9% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.4% in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second?
- Zambia ranks 8th out of 33 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, second rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.0%. 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, urban, second 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