Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 50.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe is 50.2%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 62.9% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 2012.
Zimbabwe ranks 31st of 184 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 58.1% | — |
| 2000 | 59.6% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 58.6% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 60.5% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 62.9% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | -80.4% |
| 2013 | 45.4% | +267.7% |
| 2014 | 44.6% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 53.2% | +19.4% |
| 2016 | 54.3% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 53.8% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 56.2% | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 57.0% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 58.2% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 49.1% | -15.6% |
| 2022 | 48.2% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 48.5% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 50.2% | +3.4% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 50.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 37.6%, 1.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 50.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 55.3%, 91% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +267.7% | 12.3% | 45.4% |
| 2012 | -80.4% | 62.9% | 12.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 58.1% | 58.1% | 58.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 60.4% | 58.6% | 62.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 47.1% | 12.3% | 57.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 50.8% | 48.2% | 58.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 50.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 62.9% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 2012.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 31st out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release