Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Zambia
Zambia: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 96.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Zambia, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 96.5% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2024. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Zambia peaked at 96.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Zambia 100th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, 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 children in primary school age who are in school in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 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 | 0.0% | — |
| 1915 | 0.6% | — |
| 1920 | 1.7% | +188.1% |
| 1925 | 3.7% | +115.3% |
| 1930 | 6.9% | +88.0% |
| 1935 | 13.2% | +91.9% |
| 1940 | 19.5% | +47.9% |
| 1945 | 31.7% | +62.2% |
| 1950 | 43.8% | +38.3% |
| 1955 | 46.5% | +6.2% |
| 1960 | 47.0% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 49.7% | +5.8% |
| 1970 | 80.7% | +62.4% |
| 1972 | 77.1% | -4.5% |
| 1975 | 83.0% | +7.7% |
| 1976 | 79.2% | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 79.0% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 77.8% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 77.4% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 77.4% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 77.6% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 77.7% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 79.4% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 80.6% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 82.2% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 81.1% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 75.1% | -7.5% |
| 1995 | 72.9% | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 69.8% | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 68.3% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 68.1% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 67.8% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 70.8% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 83.7% | +18.2% |
| 2005 | 92.2% | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 90.3% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 92.9% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 93.6% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 90.8% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 88.3% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 92.3% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 93.8% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 90.7% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 85.2% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 96.5% | +13.3% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 96.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 96.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | +188.1% | 0.6% | 1.7% |
| 1925 | +115.3% | 1.7% | 3.7% |
| 1935 | +91.9% | 6.9% | 13.2% |
| 1930 | +88.0% | 3.7% | 6.9% |
| 1970 | +62.4% | 49.7% | 80.7% |
| 1945 | +62.2% | 19.5% | 31.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 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 | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 2.7% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 2 |
| 1930s | 10.0% | 6.9% | 13.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 25.6% | 19.5% | 31.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 45.2% | 43.8% | 46.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 48.4% | 47.0% | 49.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 79.2% | 77.1% | 83.0% | 7 |
| 1980s | 79.4% | 77.4% | 82.2% | 7 |
| 1990s | 71.5% | 68.3% | 75.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 83.3% | 67.8% | 93.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 90.1% | 85.2% | 93.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 96.5% | 96.5% | 96.5% | 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 children in primary school age who are in school in Zambia?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Zambia was 96.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 96.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Zambia rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Zambia ranks 100th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.