School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) was 6.49 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, male in Zimbabwe, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 6.49 years for school life expectancy, primary, male in 2024.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, male in Zimbabwe peaked at 9.32 years in 1984 and was at its lowest, 4.95 years, in 1978.
Zimbabwe ranks 56th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.5 years | — |
| 1971 | 5.07 years | -7.8% |
| 1972 | 5.38 years | +6.1% |
| 1973 | 5.47 years | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 5.59 years | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 5.56 years | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 5.52 years | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 5.38 years | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 4.95 years | -8.0% |
| 1979 | 5.08 years | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 8.17 years | +60.7% |
| 1982 | 8.86 years | +8.5% |
| 1983 | 9.07 years | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 9.32 years | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 9.2 years | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 9.21 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 8.46 years | -8.2% |
| 1988 | 7.83 years | -7.4% |
| 1989 | 7.55 years | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 6.92 years | -8.4% |
| 1991 | 7.37 years | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 7.18 years | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 7.35 years | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 7.46 years | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 7.57 years | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 7.64 years | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 7.83 years | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 8.3 years | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 7.91 years | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 7.79 years | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 7.79 years | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 7.22 years | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 7.11 years | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 7.04 years | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 6.99 years | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 6.88 years | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 6.78 years | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 6.74 years | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 6.73 years | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 6.72 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 6.64 years | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 6.6 years | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 6.53 years | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 6.49 years | -0.7% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 6.49 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.1 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 6.49 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.26 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, male (years) (male years) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +60.7% | 5.08 years | 8.17 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.35 years | 4.95 years | 5.59 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.63 years | 7.55 years | 9.32 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 7.36 years | 6.92 years | 7.64 years | 7 |
| 2000s | 7.92 years | 7.79 years | 8.3 years | 5 |
| 2010s | 6.94 years | 6.73 years | 7.22 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.6 years | 6.49 years | 6.72 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, male in Zimbabwe?
- School life expectancy, primary, male in Zimbabwe was 6.49 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 9.32 years in 1984.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, male recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.95 years in 1978.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for school life expectancy, primary, male?
- Zimbabwe ranks 56th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, male rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. 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, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release