Share of children who have completed primary school in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Share of children who have completed primary school was 86.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of children who have completed primary school in Zimbabwe, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who have completed primary school in Zimbabwe is 86.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Zimbabwe peaked at 86.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 83.2%, in 1981.
Zimbabwe ranks 116th of 165 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 83.2% | — |
| 1982 | 83.2% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 83.3% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 83.4% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 83.5% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 83.6% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 83.7% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 83.7% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 83.8% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 84.0% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 84.2% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 84.3% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 84.6% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 84.8% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 84.9% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 85.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 85.1% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 85.2% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 85.3% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 85.3% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 85.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 85.3% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 85.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 85.1% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 85.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 84.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 84.8% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 84.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 84.6% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 84.6% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 84.5% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 84.5% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 84.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 84.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 85.3% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 85.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 86.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 86.4% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 86.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 86.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 86.7% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 86.8% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 86.9% | +0.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 86.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 86.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 83.5% | 83.2% | 83.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 84.7% | 84.0% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 85.0% | 84.6% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.1% | 84.5% | 86.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.7% | 86.4% | 86.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
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 share of children who have completed primary school in Zimbabwe?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Zimbabwe was 86.9% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 86.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.2% in 1981.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Zimbabwe ranks 116th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.