School completion in Zambia
Zambia: School completion was 67.4 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
67.4
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
144th
of 165 countries
All-time high
67.99
in 2013
All-time low
52.36
in 1999
Years of data
45
1981–2025
School completion in Zambia, 1981–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 67.4 for school completion in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school completion in Zambia peaked at 67.99 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 52.36, in 1999.
That places Zambia 144th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
School completion in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 54.89 | — |
| 1982 | 54.94 | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 54.94 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 54.95 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 54.89 | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 54.77 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 54.47 | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 54.08 | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 53.59 | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 53.16 | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 52.92 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 52.9 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 52.97 | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 53.18 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 53.27 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 53.24 | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 52.91 | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 52.57 | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 52.36 | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 52.44 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 52.92 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 53.89 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 55.35 | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 57.14 | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 59.15 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 61.09 | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 62.79 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 64.28 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 65.64 | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 66.67 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 67.4 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 67.81 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 67.99 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 67.9 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 67.68 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 67.34 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 67.12 | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 67.05 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 67.17 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 67.36 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 67.49 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 67.55 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 67.53 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 67.41 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 67.4 | -0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 67.4 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1, 78% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 67.4 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.16, 93% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 54.61 | 53.59 | 54.95 | 9 |
| 1990s | 52.95 | 52.36 | 53.27 | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.47 | 52.44 | 65.64 | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.41 | 66.67 | 67.99 | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.46 | 67.36 | 67.55 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 141 Benin 70.1 compare
- 142 Sierra Leone 68.81 compare
- 143 Democratic Republic of Congo 68.44 compare
- 145 Papua New Guinea 65.98 compare
- 146 Senegal 65.66 compare
- 147 Angola 65.19 compare
More education data for Zambia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 86.21 (2017)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96.49 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 169,961 (2013)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2106 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school completion in Zambia?
- School completion in Zambia was 67.4 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest school completion recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 67.99 in 2013.
- What is the lowest school completion recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.36 in 1999.
- How does Zambia rank for school completion?
- Zambia ranks 144th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school completion rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of School completion. 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).