Share of children who have completed primary school in Zambia
Zambia: Share of children who have completed primary school was 67.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Zambia, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 67.4% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Zambia peaked at 68.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 52.4%, 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.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 54.9% | — |
| 1982 | 54.9% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 54.9% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 55.0% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 54.9% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 54.8% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 54.5% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 54.1% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 53.6% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 53.2% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 52.9% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 52.9% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 53.0% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 53.2% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 53.3% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 53.2% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 52.9% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 52.6% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 52.4% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 52.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 52.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 53.9% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 55.4% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 57.1% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 59.1% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 61.1% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 62.8% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 64.3% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 65.6% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 66.7% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 67.4% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 67.8% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 68.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 67.9% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 67.7% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 67.3% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 67.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 67.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 67.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 67.4% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 67.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 67.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 67.5% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 67.4% | -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 72.2%, 93% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 54.6% | 53.6% | 55.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 52.9% | 52.4% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.5% | 52.4% | 65.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.4% | 66.7% | 68.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.5% | 67.4% | 67.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 141 Benin 70.1% compare
- 142 Sierra Leone 68.8% compare
- 143 Democratic Republic of Congo 68.4% compare
- 145 Papua New Guinea 66.0% compare
- 146 Senegal 65.7% compare
- 147 Angola 65.2% compare
More education data for Zambia
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Zambia?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Zambia was 67.4% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 68.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.4% in 1999.
- How does Zambia rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Zambia ranks 144th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school 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 UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.