School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) was 896,720 in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe stood at 896,720.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 1.01 million in 1991 and was at its lowest, 318,897, in 1997.
Zimbabwe ranks 70th of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 342,483 | — |
| 1971 | 352,915 | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 363,130 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 373,315 | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 384,346 | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 396,033 | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 408,349 | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 421,579 | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 436,203 | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 451,397 | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 466,328 | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 488,853 | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 509,827 | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 525,934 | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 543,233 | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 555,578 | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 569,510 | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 968,239 | +70.0% |
| 1988 | 985,965 | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 998,008 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 1.00 million | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 1.01 million | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 1.00 million | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 980,124 | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 964,803 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 958,628 | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 961,291 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 318,897 | -66.8% |
| 1998 | 633,901 | +98.8% |
| 1999 | 624,136 | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 622,893 | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 633,417 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 659,474 | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 691,810 | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 726,428 | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 752,254 | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 768,255 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 782,247 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 792,940 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 799,311 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 798,569 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 795,824 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 805,450 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 829,574 | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 864,381 | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 898,087 | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 924,019 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 942,312 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 945,973 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 933,094 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 910,441 | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 891,327 | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 879,507 | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 877,480 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 884,792 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 896,720 | +1.3% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 896,720 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 870,070, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 896,720 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.14 million, 79% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Zimbabwe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +98.8% | 318,897 | 633,901 |
| 1997 | -66.8% | 961,291 | 318,897 |
| 1987 | +70.0% | 569,510 | 968,239 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 392,975 | 342,483 | 451,397 | 10 |
| 1980s | 661,148 | 466,328 | 998,008 | 10 |
| 1990s | 845,257 | 318,897 | 1.01 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 722,903 | 622,893 | 799,311 | 10 |
| 2010s | 873,728 | 795,824 | 945,973 | 10 |
| 2020s | 890,044 | 877,480 | 910,441 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 67 Papua New Guinea 973,751 compare
- 68 Malaysia 941,282 compare
- 69 Ukraine 907,637 compare
- 71 South Sudan 886,447 compare
- 72 South Korea 885,449 compare
- 73 Benin 843,419 compare
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2013)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,514 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 328,055 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 322,698 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 957,461 (2013)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.94 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.4866 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1767 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 896,720 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 1.01 million in 1991.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 318,897 in 1997.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 70th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. 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 School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release