Share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia
Zambia: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 93.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia is 93.2%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia peaked at 93.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1870.
That places Zambia 72nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | — |
| 1895 | 0.0% | — |
| 1900 | 0.0% | — |
| 1905 | 0.0% | — |
| 1910 | 3.6% | — |
| 1915 | 6.8% | +88.9% |
| 1920 | 9.2% | +35.3% |
| 1925 | 11.4% | +23.9% |
| 1930 | 22.5% | +97.4% |
| 1935 | 26.4% | +17.3% |
| 1940 | 30.3% | +14.8% |
| 1945 | 35.7% | +17.8% |
| 1950 | 41.5% | +16.2% |
| 1955 | 45.2% | +8.9% |
| 1960 | 50.1% | +10.8% |
| 1965 | 55.5% | +10.8% |
| 1970 | 61.0% | +9.9% |
| 1975 | 62.4% | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 64.7% | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 66.3% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 67.4% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 80.5% | +19.4% |
| 2000 | 83.4% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 84.8% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 88.0% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 91.1% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 93.2% | +2.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 93.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 85.2%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 93.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.0%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | +97.4% | 11.4% | 22.5% |
| 1915 | +88.9% | 3.6% | 6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 5.2% | 3.6% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 10.3% | 9.2% | 11.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 24.4% | 22.5% | 26.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 33.0% | 30.3% | 35.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 43.4% | 41.5% | 45.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 52.8% | 50.1% | 55.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 61.7% | 61.0% | 62.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 65.5% | 64.7% | 66.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 74.0% | 67.4% | 80.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 84.1% | 83.4% | 84.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 89.5% | 88.0% | 91.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 93.2% | 93.2% | 93.2% | 1 |
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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Zambia was 93.2% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 93.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1870.
- How does Zambia rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Zambia ranks 72nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.