School enrollment, primary (% gross) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School enrollment, primary (% gross) was 93.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in Zimbabwe, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
In 2024, school enrollment, primary in Zimbabwe stood at 93.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary in Zimbabwe peaked at 129.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 64.7%, in 1978.
Zimbabwe ranks 165th of 205 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
School enrollment, primary (% gross) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 71.5% | — |
| 1971 | 65.9% | -7.8% |
| 1972 | 69.6% | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 70.7% | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 72.4% | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 72.6% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 72.2% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 70.9% | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 64.7% | -8.8% |
| 1979 | 64.7% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 92.9% | +43.7% |
| 1981 | 115.1% | +23.9% |
| 1982 | 124.2% | +7.8% |
| 1983 | 128.5% | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 129.1% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 129.2% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 127.3% | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 118.6% | -6.8% |
| 1988 | 109.0% | -8.1% |
| 1989 | 105.4% | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 97.2% | -7.8% |
| 1991 | 102.5% | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 101.1% | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 96.0% | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 101.2% | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 103.5% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 106.3% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 107.4% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 108.8% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 112.0% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 116.9% | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 111.6% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 109.8% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 100.1% | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 99.2% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 98.2% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 97.2% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 95.7% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 94.3% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 93.8% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 93.4% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 93.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 92.8% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 93.2% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 93.2% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 93.1% | -0.2% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 93.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 91% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 93.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 93% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School enrollment, primary (% gross) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +43.7% | 64.7% | 92.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 69.5% | 64.7% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 117.9% | 92.9% | 129.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 102.7% | 96.0% | 108.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 112.6% | 109.8% | 116.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 96.5% | 93.4% | 100.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 93.2% | 92.8% | 93.6% | 5 |
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 school enrollment, primary in Zimbabwe?
- School enrollment, primary in Zimbabwe was 93.1% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, primary recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 129.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.7% in 1978.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school enrollment, primary?
- Zimbabwe ranks 165th out of 205 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, primary (% gross). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.