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 28.5% in 2017. ▬ Flat
Latest (2017)
28.5%
World rank
19th
of 183 countries
All-time high
39.9%
in 2005
All-time low
28.5%
in 2017
Years of data
15
1998–2017
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia, 1998–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia is 28.5%, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia peaked at 39.9% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 28.5%, in 2017.
Zambia ranks 19th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 29.3% | — |
| 1999 | 30.1% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 31.0% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 33.0% | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 39.0% | +18.2% |
| 2005 | 39.9% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 39.7% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 38.9% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 37.2% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 36.7% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 35.9% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 34.4% | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 31.9% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 29.5% | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 28.5% | -3.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 28.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.3%, 2.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 28.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.1%, 1.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.7% | 29.3% | 30.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.9% | 31.0% | 39.9% | 8 |
| 2010s | 32.0% | 28.5% | 35.9% | 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 28.5% 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 39.9% in 2005.
- What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.5% in 2017.
- How does Zambia rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2?
- Zambia ranks 19th 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 26.6%. 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 Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release