School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Zambia
Zambia: School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) was 8.03 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
8.03 years
World rank
10th
of 215 countries
All-time high
8.73 years
in 2008
All-time low
6.04 years
in 2001
Years of data
41
1970–2024
School life expectancy, primary, male in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, male in Zambia stood at 8.03 years.
That represents a change of up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, male in Zambia peaked at 8.73 years in 2008 and was at its lowest, 6.04 years, in 2001.
That places Zambia 10th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.69 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.74 years | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 7.12 years | +5.7% |
| 1973 | 6.96 years | -2.3% |
| 1974 | 7.1 years | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 6.95 years | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 7.19 years | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 7.11 years | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 7.03 years | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 7 years | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 7.06 years | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 6.96 years | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 7.02 years | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 7.22 years | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 7.41 years | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 7.3 years | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 7.49 years | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 7.33 years | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 6.72 years | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 6.55 years | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 6.26 years | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 6.26 years | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 6.12 years | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 6.06 years | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 6.04 years | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 6.29 years | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 7.7 years | +22.5% |
| 2005 | 8.58 years | +11.4% |
| 2006 | 8.54 years | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 8.68 years | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 8.73 years | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 8.21 years | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 8.03 years | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 8.19 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 8.12 years | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 7.69 years | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 7.56 years | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 7.3 years | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 6.97 years | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 7.13 years | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 8.03 years | +12.6% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 8.03 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.1 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 8.03 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.26 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.99 years | 6.69 years | 7.19 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.22 years | 6.96 years | 7.49 years | 8 |
| 1990s | 6.38 years | 6.12 years | 6.72 years | 5 |
| 2000s | 7.65 years | 6.04 years | 8.73 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.62 years | 6.97 years | 8.19 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 8.03 years | 8.03 years | 8.03 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 7 Eswatini 8.43 years compare
- 8 Malawi 8.3 years compare
- 9 Antigua and Barbuda 8.13 years compare
- 11 Anguilla 7.95 years compare
- 12 Montserrat 7.95 years compare
- 13 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7.91 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, male in Zambia?
- School life expectancy, primary, male in Zambia was 8.03 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.73 years in 2008.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.04 years in 2001.
- How does Zambia rank for school life expectancy, primary, male?
- Zambia ranks 10th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, male rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. 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, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release