School age population, primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 3.13 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.13 million
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
51st
of 222 countries
All-time high
3.17 million
in 2023
All-time low
1.03 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe is 3.13 million, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 3.17 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.03 million, in 1970.
That places Zimbabwe 51st out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.03 million | — |
| 1971 | 1.06 million | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 1.09 million | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 1.12 million | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 1.15 million | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 1.19 million | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 1.22 million | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 1.26 million | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.28 million | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 1.29 million | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 1.33 million | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 1.49 million | +12.0% |
| 1982 | 1.53 million | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 1.59 million | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 1.65 million | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 1.71 million | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 1.78 million | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 1.90 million | +6.7% |
| 1988 | 2.03 million | +6.8% |
| 1989 | 2.12 million | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 2.18 million | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 2.23 million | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 2.28 million | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 2.53 million | +11.1% |
| 1994 | 2.50 million | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 2.45 million | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 2.41 million | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 2.36 million | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 2.31 million | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 2.26 million | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 2.20 million | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 2.17 million | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 2.15 million | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 2.15 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.17 million | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 2.20 million | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 2.25 million | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 2.32 million | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 2.40 million | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 2.48 million | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 2.56 million | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 2.62 million | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.66 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 2.69 million | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 2.71 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 2.73 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 2.78 million | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 2.84 million | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 2.91 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 2.99 million | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 3.07 million | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 3.12 million | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 3.16 million | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 3.17 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 3.16 million | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 3.13 million | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.17 million | 1.03 million | 1.29 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.71 million | 1.33 million | 2.12 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.35 million | 2.18 million | 2.53 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.25 million | 2.15 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.75 million | 2.56 million | 2.99 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.13 million | 3.07 million | 3.17 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 48 Saudi Arabia 3.32 million compare
- 49 Peru 3.27 million compare
- 50 Germany 3.22 million compare
- 52 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 3.02 million compare
- 53 Uzbekistan 2.82 million compare
- 54 Nepal 2.77 million compare
More education data for Zimbabwe
- 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)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 93.08 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 93.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 3.13 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 3.17 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.03 million in 1970.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 51st out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. 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, primary 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