School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female (years) in Zambia
Zambia: School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female (years) was 9.95 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in Zambia, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in Zambia stood at 9.95 years. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in Zambia peaked at 9.95 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.91 years, in 1999.
That places Zambia 43rd out of 200 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female (years) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6.06 years | — |
| 1999 | 5.91 years | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 6.09 years | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 6.11 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 6.41 years | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 7.87 years | +22.7% |
| 2005 | 8.75 years | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 9.05 years | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 9.23 years | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 9.57 years | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 9.18 years | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 9.2 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 9.13 years | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 9.19 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 8.74 years | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 8.66 years | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 8.37 years | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 8.18 years | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 8.37 years | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 9.95 years | +19.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 9.95 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.66 years, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 9.95 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.45 years, 1.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.99 years | 5.91 years | 6.06 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.03 years | 6.09 years | 9.57 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.73 years | 8.18 years | 9.2 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 9.95 years | 9.95 years | 9.95 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
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 school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in Zambia?
- School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female in Zambia was 9.95 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.95 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.91 years in 1999.
- How does Zambia rank for school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female?
- Zambia ranks 43rd out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release