Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia
Zambia: Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 was 26.2% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia, 1998–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 26.2% for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in 2017.
The figure is down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia peaked at 35.3% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 23.9%, in 1998.
That places Zambia 17th out of 183 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 23.9% | — |
| 1999 | 24.8% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 25.3% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 27.3% | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 34.0% | +24.9% |
| 2005 | 34.5% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 35.3% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 35.1% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 33.5% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 33.2% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 31.8% | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 31.0% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 29.1% | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 27.0% | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 26.2% | -2.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 26.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.9%, 2.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 26.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.6%, 1.6× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.3% | 23.9% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.3% | 25.3% | 35.3% | 8 |
| 2010s | 29.0% | 26.2% | 31.8% | 5 |
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 percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia?
- Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia was 26.2% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 35.3% in 2006.
- What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.9% in 1998.
- How does Zambia rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2?
- Zambia ranks 17th out of 183 countries with data for 2017.
- Is percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release