Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Zambia
Zambia: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both was 46.7% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
46.7%
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
44th
of 206 countries
All-time high
51.2%
in 2001
All-time low
31.1%
in 2013
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Zambia, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Zambia stood at 46.7%.
The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 37.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Zambia peaked at 51.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 31.1%, in 2013.
Zambia ranks 44th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 51.0% | — |
| 2001 | 51.2% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 50.9% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 50.6% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 50.8% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 50.1% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 47.5% | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 43.4% | -8.6% |
| 2008 | 39.8% | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 37.4% | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 35.8% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 34.3% | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 32.5% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 31.1% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 31.4% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 34.1% | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 38.3% | +12.3% |
| 2017 | 42.3% | +10.4% |
| 2018 | 45.0% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 46.5% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 47.5% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 48.6% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 50.1% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 50.5% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 49.2% | -2.6% |
| 2025 | 46.7% | -5.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 46.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.0%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 46.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 52.2%, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.3% | 37.4% | 51.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 31.1% | 46.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.8% | 46.7% | 50.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 41 Mauritania 48.4% compare
- 42 Guyana 47.7% compare
- 43 Eritrea 47.5% compare
- 45 El Salvador 45.8% compare
- 46 Côte d'Ivoire 45.4% compare
- 47 Comoros 45.1% 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, both in Zambia?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Zambia was 46.7% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 51.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.1% in 2013.
- How does Zambia rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both?
- Zambia ranks 44th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release