School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.51 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe is 6.51 years, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe peaked at 9.18 years in 1984 and was at its lowest, 4.53 years, in 1978.
Zimbabwe ranks 53rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5 years | — |
| 1971 | 4.61 years | -7.8% |
| 1972 | 4.87 years | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 4.95 years | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 5.07 years | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 5.08 years | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 5.05 years | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 4.96 years | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 4.53 years | -8.8% |
| 1979 | 4.53 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6.5 years | +43.7% |
| 1981 | 8.06 years | +23.9% |
| 1982 | 8.72 years | +8.2% |
| 1983 | 8.99 years | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 9.18 years | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 9.04 years | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 9.06 years | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 8.3 years | -8.4% |
| 1988 | 7.63 years | -8.1% |
| 1989 | 7.38 years | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 6.8 years | -7.8% |
| 1991 | 7.18 years | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 7.07 years | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 6.72 years | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 7.09 years | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 7.24 years | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 7.44 years | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 7.4 years | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 7.5 years | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 7.69 years | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 8.18 years | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 7.82 years | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 7.71 years | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 7.74 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 7.15 years | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 7.04 years | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 6.97 years | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 6.92 years | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 6.83 years | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.75 years | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 6.73 years | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 6.73 years | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 6.74 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 6.66 years | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 6.62 years | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 6.57 years | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 6.51 years | -0.9% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 6.51 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 6.51 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) 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% | 4.53 years | 6.5 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.87 years | 4.53 years | 5.08 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.29 years | 6.5 years | 9.18 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.16 years | 6.72 years | 7.5 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.83 years | 7.69 years | 8.18 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 6.89 years | 6.73 years | 7.15 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.62 years | 6.51 years | 6.74 years | 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 life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Zimbabwe was 6.51 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 9.18 years in 1984.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.53 years in 1978.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Zimbabwe ranks 53rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. 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, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release