School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Zambia
Zambia: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 11.22 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zambia stood at 11.22 years. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zambia peaked at 11.22 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.61 years, in 1970.
That places Zambia 123rd out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.61 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.72 years | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 7.04 years | +4.7% |
| 1973 | 6.96 years | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 7.14 years | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 7.06 years | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 7.29 years | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 7.3 years | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 7.28 years | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 7.27 years | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 7.34 years | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 7.29 years | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 7.36 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 7.79 years | +5.8% |
| 1986 | 8.02 years | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 7.67 years | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 7.91 years | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 7.63 years | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 7.37 years | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 11.22 years | +52.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 11.22 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.58 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 11.22 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.03 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +52.1% | 7.37 years | 11.22 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.07 years | 6.61 years | 7.3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.63 years | 7.29 years | 8.02 years | 7 |
| 1990s | 7.5 years | 7.37 years | 7.63 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 11.22 years | 11.22 years | 11.22 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 secondary, both sexes in Zambia?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zambia was 11.22 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.22 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.61 years in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Zambia ranks 123rd out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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