Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 44.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Zimbabwe, 2012–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Zimbabwe is 44.1%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Zimbabwe peaked at 60.7% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 42.4%, in 2022.
Zimbabwe ranks 34th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 57.4% | — |
| 2013 | 60.7% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 60.4% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 54.3% | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 49.1% | -9.8% |
| 2017 | 49.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 49.5% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 48.1% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 44.4% | -7.9% |
| 2021 | 45.7% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 42.4% | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 43.1% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 44.1% | +2.2% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 44.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36.0%, 1.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 44.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.5%, 99% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 53.6% | 48.1% | 60.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 43.9% | 42.4% | 45.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 31 Sao Tome and Principe 46.3%
- 32 Botswana 44.9% compare
- 33 Micronesia, Federated States of 44.2% compare
- 35 Timor-Leste 43.8% compare
- 36 Honduras 41.8% compare
- 37 Iran, Islamic Republic of 41.1% compare
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 one year before the official primary in Zimbabwe?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Zimbabwe was 44.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 60.7% in 2013.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.4% in 2022.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Zimbabwe ranks 34th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 one year before the official primary entry age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release