School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 894,265 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
894,265
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
76th
of 220 countries
All-time high
1.48 million
in 2020
All-time low
251,989
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 894,265 for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.5% on the previous year and down 35.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 1.48 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 251,989, in 1970.
Zimbabwe ranks 76th of 220 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 251,989 | — |
| 1971 | 257,342 | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 263,291 | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 269,791 | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 277,007 | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 285,281 | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 292,876 | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 300,607 | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 302,636 | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 296,098 | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 301,602 | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 358,359 | +18.8% |
| 1982 | 375,543 | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 393,603 | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 407,606 | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 422,237 | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 437,335 | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 466,006 | +6.6% |
| 1988 | 482,651 | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 508,413 | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 536,871 | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 561,232 | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 582,622 | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 614,238 | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 626,422 | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 658,331 | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 689,206 | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 705,277 | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 721,581 | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 728,705 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 721,662 | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 665,754 | -7.7% |
| 2002 | 611,076 | -8.2% |
| 2003 | 602,456 | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 599,772 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 599,943 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 602,276 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 596,485 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 583,852 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 581,626 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 593,651 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 620,682 | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 652,631 | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 683,628 | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 706,394 | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 1.38 million | +94.9% |
| 2016 | 1.41 million | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 1.44 million | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.46 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.47 million | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 1.48 million | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 758,899 | -48.8% |
| 2022 | 785,684 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 825,821 | +5.1% |
| 2024 | 864,223 | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 894,265 | +3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 279,692 | 251,989 | 302,636 | 10 |
| 1980s | 415,336 | 301,602 | 508,413 | 10 |
| 1990s | 642,448 | 536,871 | 728,705 | 10 |
| 2000s | 616,490 | 581,626 | 721,662 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.04 million | 593,651 | 1.47 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 935,012 | 758,899 | 1.48 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 73 North Korea 968,332 compare
- 74 Rwanda 957,013 compare
- 75 Togo 909,897 compare
- 77 Turkmenistan 887,500 compare
- 78 Papua New Guinea 874,158 compare
- 79 Romania 863,933 compare
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2015)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 90,330 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 894,265 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 1.48 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 251,989 in 1970.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 76th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release