Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Zambia
Zambia: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 115.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Zambia stood at 115.6%.
The figure is up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Zambia peaked at 117.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 80.2%, in 2001.
Zambia ranks 22nd of 217 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 89.7% | 85.7% | 92.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 94.2% | 89.8% | 98.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 87.5% | 80.6% | 95.3% | 7 |
| 2000s | 102.0% | 80.2% | 117.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 106.0% | 98.8% | 111.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 115.6% | 115.6% | 115.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More education data for Zambia
- Duration of pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 41.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 14 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 115.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 116,859 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.04 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 118.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Zambia?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Zambia was 115.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 117.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.2% in 2001.
- How does Zambia rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Zambia ranks 22nd out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. 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 Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.