School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Zambia
Zambia: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 8.22 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
8.22 years
World rank
8th
of 218 countries
All-time high
8.49 years
in 2008
All-time low
5.74 years
in 2001
Years of data
45
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 8.22 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zambia peaked at 8.49 years in 2008 and was at its lowest, 5.74 years, in 2001.
Zambia ranks 8th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.09 years | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 6.37 years | +4.7% |
| 1973 | 6.31 years | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 6.46 years | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 6.34 years | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 6.55 years | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 6.53 years | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 6.5 years | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 6.49 years | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 6.55 years | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 6.5 years | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 6.56 years | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 6.75 years | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 6.91 years | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 6.88 years | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 7.05 years | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 6.72 years | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 6.92 years | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 6.67 years | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 6.6 years | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 6.67 years | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 6.36 years | -4.7% |
| 1995 | 6.2 years | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 5.93 years | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 5.93 years | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 5.77 years | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 5.75 years | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 5.74 years | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 5.96 years | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 7.39 years | +24.0% |
| 2005 | 8.22 years | +11.3% |
| 2006 | 8.31 years | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 8.4 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 8.49 years | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 8.03 years | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 7.96 years | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 8.04 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 8.03 years | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 7.6 years | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 7.49 years | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 7.24 years | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 6.97 years | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 7.12 years | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 8.22 years | +15.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 8.22 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 8.22 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.36 years | 6 years | 6.55 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.75 years | 6.5 years | 7.05 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.21 years | 5.77 years | 6.67 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 7.37 years | 5.74 years | 8.49 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.56 years | 6.97 years | 8.04 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 8.22 years | 8.22 years | 8.22 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 5 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.59 years compare
- 6 Mozambique 8.56 years compare
- 7 Malawi 8.39 years compare
- 9 Eswatini 8.16 years compare
- 10 Antigua and Barbuda 7.9 years compare
- 11 Anguilla 7.89 years compare
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, both sexes in Zambia?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zambia was 8.22 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.49 years in 2008.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.74 years in 2001.
- How does Zambia rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Zambia ranks 8th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. 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, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release