School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 10.23 years in 2013. ▲ Rising
Latest (2013)
10.23 years
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
162nd
of 213 countries
All-time high
11.72 years
in 1986
All-time low
5.03 years
in 1979
Years of data
35
1970–2013
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2013
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2013, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe stood at 10.23 years.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 11.72 years in 1986 and was at its lowest, 5.03 years, in 1979.
Zimbabwe ranks 162nd of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.43 years | — |
| 1971 | 5.05 years | -6.9% |
| 1972 | 5.35 years | +5.9% |
| 1973 | 5.45 years | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 5.58 years | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 5.61 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 5.59 years | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 5.5 years | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 5.06 years | -8.1% |
| 1979 | 5.03 years | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 7.04 years | +39.8% |
| 1981 | 8.97 years | +27.4% |
| 1982 | 10.05 years | +12.0% |
| 1983 | 10.75 years | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 11.4 years | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 11.52 years | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 11.72 years | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 11.08 years | -5.5% |
| 1988 | 10.49 years | -5.3% |
| 1989 | 10.25 years | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 9.51 years | -7.2% |
| 1991 | 9.96 years | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 9.55 years | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 9.05 years | -5.2% |
| 1995 | 9.5 years | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 9.68 years | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 9.93 years | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 9.92 years | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 10.11 years | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 10.69 years | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 10.3 years | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 10.07 years | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 10.57 years | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 10.35 years | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 10.23 years | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.36 years | 5.03 years | 5.61 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.33 years | 7.04 years | 11.72 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.64 years | 9.05 years | 9.96 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.34 years | 10.07 years | 10.69 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 10.29 years | 10.23 years | 10.35 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 159 Kyrgyzstan 10.33 years compare
- 160 Russian Federation 10.32 years compare
- 161 Afghanistan 10.32 years compare
- 163 Malaysia 10.21 years compare
- 164 Puerto Rico 10.21 years compare
- 165 Bahamas 10.18 years compare
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2015)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 90,330 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 10.23 years in 2013, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 11.72 years in 1986.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.03 years in 1979.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 162nd out of 213 countries with data for 2013.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release