Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 3.13 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.13 million
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
67th
of 197 countries
All-time high
3.17 million
in 2023
All-time low
2.15 million
in 2002
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe is 3.13 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 3.17 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.15 million, in 2002.
Zimbabwe ranks 67th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.31 million | — |
| 1999 | 2.26 million | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 2.20 million | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 2.17 million | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 2.15 million | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 2.15 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.17 million | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 2.20 million | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 2.25 million | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 2.32 million | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 2.40 million | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 2.48 million | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 2.56 million | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 2.62 million | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.66 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 2.69 million | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 2.71 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 2.73 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 2.78 million | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 2.84 million | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 2.91 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 2.99 million | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 3.07 million | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 3.12 million | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 3.16 million | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 3.17 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 3.16 million | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 3.13 million | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.29 million | 2.26 million | 2.31 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.25 million | 2.15 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.75 million | 2.56 million | 2.99 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.13 million | 3.07 million | 3.17 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 0.8897 % change on previous year (2013)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 55,969 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 34,361 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 72,517 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 55,393 (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 3.13 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 3.17 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.15 million in 2002.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 67th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release