Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted was 1.22 modelled data in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in Zambia, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in modelled data.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 1.22 modelled data for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in Zambia peaked at 1.42 modelled data in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.22 modelled data, in 2024.
That places Zambia 25th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in Zambia, year by year
| Year | modelled data | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.35 modelled data | — |
| 2001 | 1.35 modelled data | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.36 modelled data | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.38 modelled data | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 1.38 modelled data | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.37 modelled data | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 1.38 modelled data | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 1.4 modelled data | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.42 modelled data | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 1.42 modelled data | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.41 modelled data | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.41 modelled data | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 1.4 modelled data | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.4 modelled data | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 1.39 modelled data | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.37 modelled data | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.33 modelled data | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 1.31 modelled data | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.3 modelled data | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.3 modelled data | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.3 modelled data | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.27 modelled data | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 1.24 modelled data | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 1.22 modelled data | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 1.22 modelled data | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 1.22 modelled data | +0.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 1.22 modelled data is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9783 modelled data, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 1.22 modelled data is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1 modelled data, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.38 modelled data | 1.35 modelled data | 1.42 modelled data | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.36 modelled data | 1.3 modelled data | 1.41 modelled data | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.25 modelled data | 1.22 modelled data | 1.3 modelled data | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 22 British Virgin Islands 1.23 modelled data compare
- 23 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.22 modelled data compare
- 24 Guinea 1.22 modelled data compare
- 26 Guinea-Bissau 1.22 modelled data compare
- 27 South Sudan 1.21 modelled data compare
- 28 Montenegro 1.2 modelled data 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 youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in Zambia?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted in Zambia was 1.22 modelled data in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.42 modelled data in 2008.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.22 modelled data in 2024.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted?
- Zambia ranks 25th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA) (modelled data). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release