Net attendance rate of primary school in Zambia

Zambia: Net attendance rate of primary school was 84.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
84.2%
World rank
28th
of 36 countries
All-time high
87.1%
in 2013
All-time low
73.7%
in 2001
Years of data
5
2001–2023

Net attendance rate of primary school in Zambia, 2001–2023

0204060802001201220232001: 73.7 %2007: 82 %2013: 87.1 %2018: 84.4 %2023: 84.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, net attendance rate of primary school in Zambia stood at 84.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, net attendance rate of primary school in Zambia peaked at 87.1% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 73.7%, in 2001.

That places Zambia 28th out of 36 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 77.8% 73.7% 82.0% 2
2010s 85.8% 84.4% 87.1% 2
2020s 84.2% 84.2% 84.2% 1

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 25 Bangladesh 93.0% compare
  2. 26 Guatemala 91.4% compare
  3. 27 Democratic Republic of Congo 85.5% compare
  4. 29 Cameroon 84.0% compare
  5. 30 Tanzania 83.9% compare
  6. 31 Benin 75.5% compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More education data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is net attendance rate of primary school in Zambia?
Net attendance rate of primary school in Zambia was 84.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest net attendance rate of primary school recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 87.1% in 2013.
What is the lowest net attendance rate of primary school recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 73.7% in 2001.
How does Zambia rank for net attendance rate of primary school?
Zambia ranks 28th out of 36 countries with data for 2023.
Is net attendance rate of primary school rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Net attendance rate of primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Net attendance rate of primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
36 places, 426 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Total number of students of the official age group for primary education who are attending school at any level of education, expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population.